Newcastle vs Bradford Predictions

• Newcastle have scored one or fewer goals in five of their first six games of the new season.
• Under 3.5 goals have been scored in five of Newcastle’s six matches in all competitions this season.
• Bradford haven’t made it past Round Three of the Carabao Cup since 2013.

Modest victory could be in the works for Magpies

Newcastle’s limp start to the new campaign continued at the weekend when they stuttered to a goalless draw at Bournemouth and the Magpies have now won only once in six attempts since the summer.

With Champions League fatigue the motivation, Eddie Howe chose to rest a number of key players, including Joelinton, Bruno Guimaraes, Anthony Elanga and Harvey Barnes on Sunday, and a weakened Newcastle registered just 0.10 in expected goals in a toothless showing at the Vitality Stadium as a result.

Indeed, Howe’s Newcastle have been struggling for goals since the summer, netting just four times in six fixtures combined in all competitions, while also posting three 0-0 draws inside their first five Premier League assignments.

Howe is likely to keep his star players wrapped in cotton wool again for the visit of Bradford City on Wednesday evening. The visitors have started their campaign brilliantly and occupy top spot in League One, and they are playing with enough confidence to make life awkward for a shuffled Newcastle XI.

Newcastle can still force a win, however, with the hosts still grinding through the gears in the final third, Bradford are fancied to keep the score down on Tyneside. With that considered, combining a home win with under 4.5 goals is the favoured approach here, while a modest 2-0 Newcastle win looks like a good fit for our correct score forecast.