October 8, 2018

Bookies have readjusted their Premier League relegation odds for the season and slashed odds on Newcastle United to go down to just 2/1.

Newcastle United endured their sixth defeat of the season in a 3-2 loss to Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon which leaves the Magpies 2nd bottom with just goal difference keeping them above last-placed Cardiff.

Rafa Benitez’s side started brightly and were 2 goals up inside the first 10 minutes with goals coming from Kenedy and summer signing Muto. There was a lot for Newcastle fans to be positive about throughout the match with the Magpies coming close to grabbing a third goal on a couple of occasions and an impressive tempo and work ethic. However, one of the problems with going ahead so early in the game is Newcastle were on the back foot for 80 minutes with Manchester United pushing to get back into the game. Jose Mourinho, who has been under increased pressure of late due to poor results, made tactical decisions to bring on Juan Mata and Alexis Sanchez who produced two of the three goals, along with Anthony Martial, to ultimately snatch all three points and inflict for misery on Newcastle.

Bookies were offering odds of 6/1 at the start of the season for Rafa Benitez’s side to make a return to the Championship which were cut to 9/2 by the seasons start, following the news of owner Mike Ashley refusing to invest any considerable amount in transfers, but following a string of defeats, albeit against tough opposition, those odds have been slashed to just 2/1 with BetVictor currently offering the biggest odds at 9/4.

Newcastle haven’t had the easiest start to a season in regards to fixtures with facing Tottenham, Man Utd, Man City, Arsenal and Chelsea in their first 8 games and losing all of those matches by just 1 goal. Pressure in now on Rafa Benitez and his side to start picking up points with less challenging fixtures ahead, starting with hosting Brighton a week on Saturday followed by a trip to St Mary’s Stadium to face fellow-strugglers Southampton. If Newcastle can pick up points in those games, the odds on a return to the Championship will surely drift.

There may be opportunities in relegation odds in situations such as this by backing and laying teams at certain points in the season. For example, if you backed Newcastle to be relegated at the start of the season at odds of 6/1 for £100 and laid the bet today, you could lock in a profit of around £130. Given Newcastle’s tough fixtures so far in the season and some positive performances, many believe Rafa Benitez’s side will have enough to beat the drop. To do so, they need to start picking up points against lesser sides than they have previously faced but if they do so, the odds on them going down will surely increase offering further opportunity to lock in profits through matched betting. This can be done by laying Newcastle to be relegated now and backing them should the odds increase following picking up points.

Newcastle’s relegation odds however, will not only be determined by their own performances and points tally, but also that of surrounding teams. Bournemouth and Watford are both performing better than expected at this point in the season and their odds on being relegated have been cut from a pre-season 5/1 & 2/1 to 66/1 and 25/1. Cardiff and Huddersfield are two sides who look like they deserve to be in the bottom three with Fulham and Southampton looking like Newcastle’s main rivals at the moment.

Current & Pre-Season Relegation Odds

Cardiff

Pre-season: 4/6

Current: 2/7

Huddersfield

Pre-season: 11/10

Current: 2/5

Fulham

Pre-season: 7/4

Current: 6/4

Burnley

Pre-season: 7/2

Current: 7/4

Newcastle United

Pre-season: 9/2

Current: 2/1

Brighton

Pre-season: 2/1

Current: 5/1

Southampton

Pre-season: 7/1

Current: 5/1

Crystal Palace

Pre-season: 6/1

Current: 6/1

West Ham

Pre-season: 7/1

Current: 10/1

Watford

Pre-season: 2/1

Current: 25/1

Bournemouth

Pre-season: 5/1

Current: 66/1

Do you think Newcastle United will turn things around and beat the drop?