Newcastle will begin pre-season with a bang in Germany
They might be missing some of their biggest names, but the Magpies should prove far too strong for 3rd Liga minnows Chemnitz.
Newcastle United kick off their pre-season schedule this evening as they travel to Germany to face third division outfit Chemnitzer FC.
The Magpies are still basking in the glow of their superb 2011-12 Premier League campaign, which saw them eventually claim fifth place after an unexpected but ultimately unsuccessful challenge for a top-four finish.
However, the hard work now begins in earnest for boss Alan Pardew and his players, who will surely fancy their chances of victory against the Saxony-based minnows.
New boys Gael Bigirimana and Roman Amalfitano are expected to make their debuts, while youngsters such as Haris Vuckic, James Tavernier and Mehdi Abeid could also be given a chance to shine.
| Champions League | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dortmund | 1-1 | Bayern Munich | £150.00 | (13/2) |
| Dortmund | 1-2 | Bayern Munich | £160.00 | (7/1) |
| Dortmund | 0-2 | Bayern Munich | £175.00 | (31/4) |
| Dortmund win | £84.00 | (16/5) | ||
| Draw | £82.00 | (31/10) | ||
| Bayern Munich win | £34.00 | (7/10) | ||
Papiss Cisse is not in contention to start despite joining up with his team-mates for the summer tour of Germany and Hungary, while Leon Best has moved to Blackburn and Nile Ranger has been left at home.
Chemnitz are modest opposition and their ninth-placed finish in the 3rd Liga last term was more to do with their away results, as they could only muster the 13th-best home record in the division.
CHEMNITZER FC v NEWCASTLE UNITED – BET NOW!
But even taking those attacking absentees into account, Demba Ba, Shola Ameobi, Sammy Ameobi and Vuckic should provide enough firepower for Newcastle to claim a comfortable win at Stadion an der Gellertstraße.
Predictions about the outcomes of pre-season friendlies naturally come with a health warning, but the Magpies can be backed with plenty of confidence to get the job done at decent odds of 3/4.
Chemnitz are modest opposition and their ninth-placed finish in the 3rd Liga last term was more to do with their away results, as they could only muster the 13th-best home record in the division.
Of course, it is possible that the visit of a top-five Premier League club could inspire them to perform above their normal level and they are available at 3/1 to pull off an upset, with the draw at 5/2.
The hosts – whose biggest claim to fame in recent times is that former Chelsea star Michael Ballack came through their youth ranks – will be buoyed further by the absence of Euro 2012 participants such as Tim Krul and Yohan Cabaye.
But Pardew is a canny operator and you can bet he has spent all week reminding the new signings and youngsters that this fixture is a perfect chance for them to impress him.
The former West Ham boss has proved that man-management is one of his strongest suits and I fully expect his patchwork team to respond to his demands by putting the former East German champions to the sword.
If you don’t fancy lumping on Newcastle at odds-on in an opening pre-season friendly, there could be better value to be found by having a stab at four or more goals to be scored in the game.
This selection is priced up at 31/20, which means anyone backing it with their free £20 bet when joining bwin.com would pocket winnings of £51 if successful.
After all, nine of Newcastle’s 19 away games in the Premier League last season ticked the over 3.5 goals box, which was the highest ratio of any team in the division.
So it would be no surprise to see a high-scoring win for the visitors, particularly if their strong-looking front line performs to its capabilities and their occasionally leaky defence is breached.
New customers can register here to claim a free £25 bet or click here to see all our Premier League odds.
Follow us on Twitter @bwin