Back this 3/1 Manchester City vs Newcastle single

Champions Manchester City play host to Newcastle with both sides vying for a spot in next season's Champions League.

Odds Now's Brad Walker (@brad_TWalker) has combed over the fixture to find the best betting value ahead of kick-off on Saturday afternoon.

City's miserable campaign continued with a 3-2 home defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League play-offs on Tuesday evening.

Two late goals from the Spaniards means Pep Guardiola's men are staring down the barrel of elimination ahead of the second leg in Madrid next week.

The defeat was City's first in five at home, but that's not to say recent performances have been convincing in the slightest.

They were handed a 5-1 slapping at Arsenal last time out in the league and squeaked past Leyton Orient in the FA Cup last weekend after initially finding themselves a goal down.

Meanwhile, visiting Newcastle head to Manchester on the back of two vital victories in the domestic cups.

An initial 2-0 win over Arsenal secured their spot in the Carabao Cup final, while a late fight back at Birmingham also ensured they remain in the hunt for the FA Cup.

Eddie Howe's men look to be a team on the up, despite recent home losses to Bournemouth and Fulham, and will surely smell blood ahead of their trip to the Etihad.

Real Madrid's win at the Etihad marked the latest Manchester City collapse this season. (Photo credit: Alamy Images)

Is the price for a Newcastle win too good to turn down?

There's certainly no value in backing a City win at an odds-on 9/10, despite their recent record against the Magpies in this future.

City are unbeaten in their last 10 home games against Newcastle, perhaps explaining why the away side come in at a very wide 3/1 to come out on top this weekend.

Yet, the hosts' vulnerabilities in defensive areas combined with the visitors' pacey attacking outlets surely make the away win a worthy punt here.

In reality, Real Madrid could've been two or three up inside 15 minutes during mid-week, with the speed and directness of their attack causing absolute fits across the City backline.

With that in mind, Newcastle's own offensive players, namely Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon and Jacob Murphy, will surely be licking their lips at the thought of facing City's hapless defence.

The 3/1 price on offer is far too wide in my eyes and will surely narrow as we get closer to kick-off, so backing the Newcastle win sooner rather than later looks the sensible pick for me.

Brad Walker's Manchester City vs Newcastle best bet

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