Two of the Premier League's lowest scoring sides will come face to face when Rafa Benitez's Newcastle United travel to The John Smith's Stadium to meet Huddersfield Town on Saturday.
Huddersfield, who have netted just ten goals this season, find themselves 18th in the league after suffering three consecutive defeats, and need to start picking up points before they become embroiled in a relegation battle.
After a tricky start to the season, recent results on the pitch have helped carry Newcastle to 15th in the league table. They have earned three wins and a draw in their last six games, but tasted defeat last time out against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Here's 90min's preview for the crucial fixture.
How to Watch
| When Is Kick Off? | Saturday 15th December |
| What Time Is Kick Off? | 15:00 (BST) |
| Where Is It Played? | The John Smith's Stadium |
| TV Channel/Live Stream? | Sky Sports Soccer Saturday / BT Sport Score |
| Referee? | Anthony Taylor |
Team News
Jonathan Hogg and Tom Smith will both likely miss out for Huddersfield, as will star midfielder Aaron Mooy. The trio all picked up injuries during the last match against Arsenal, joining Abdelhamid Sabiri on the sidelines. Forward Steve Mounie serves the final match of his suspension following his red card against Brighton and Hove Albion.
Newcastle will be without the suspended DeAndre Yedlin, whilst Federico Fenandez and Jonjo Shelvey will both face late fitness tests. Florian Lejeune remains sidelined.
Predicted Lineups
| Huddersfield | Lossl; Hadergjonaj, Kongolo, Jorgensen, Schindler, Durm; Bacuna, Williams, Lowe, Pritchard; Depoitre. |
| Newcastle | Dubravka; Manquillo, Schar, Lascelles, Dummett; Ritchie, Ki, Diame, Atsu; Perez, Rondon. |
Head to Head Record
The two sides have met just twice in Premier League history. Huddersfield earned a 1-0 victory in August 2017, but Newcastle returned the favour with their own 1-0 victory in March.
Huddersfield and Newcastle also met twice in the Championship, with the two sides again sharing the victories. Their only other clash came in 2009, when Shola Ameobi and Kevin Nolan combined to earn a 4-3 victory for Newcastle in the League Cup.
Recent Form
Huddersfield have struggled greatly in front of goal this season and they find themselves languishing towards the bottom of the league table. They have suffered three consecutive defeats and will be keen to bounce back against the Magpies.
Newcastle endured a similarly challenging start to the season and even found themselves bottom of the league at one point. They did not earn their first victory until November, but then enjoyed a run of three consecutive victories.
However, after remaining undefeated in November, they have suffered two draws and a defeat in their last three matches, including a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Wolves in their most recent match.
| Huddersfield | Newcastle |
| Arsenal 1-0 Huddersfield (8/12) | Newcastle 1-2 Wolves (9/12) |
| Bournemouth 2-1 Huddersfield (4/12) | Everton 1-1 Newcastle (5/12) |
| Huddersfield 1-2 Brighton (1/12) |
Newcastle 0-3 West Ham (1/12) |
| Wolves 0-2 Huddersfield (25/11) | Burnley 1-2 Newcastle (26/11) |
| Huddersfield 1-1 West Ham (10/11) | Newcastle 2-1 Bournemouth (10/11) |
Prediction
Saturday's clash between the two sides looks to have all the makings of a real relegation six-pointer. With the two sides both struggling towards the bottom of the table, this will likely be a cagey affair as neither team will want to make the first mistake.
Huddersfield have netted just ten goals all season, whilst Newcastle have managed just three more. All the signs suggest that this could be a tough watch for fans, but all it needs is for one side to come out with a positive mentality and things could be very interesting indeed.
Don't expect a goal fest, but Newcastle should have enough to carry them through against an injury-stricken Huddersfield side.
Prediction: Huddersfield 0-1 Newcastle
Source : 90min