Football betting: Premier League - Newcastle vs Man City

Cometh the hour, cometh the man and both Newcastle and Sam Allardyce will be hoping Michael Owen can give them some fresh input given their recent run of poor form and the striker looks like fitting the bill as a 2/1 anytime goalscorer against Manchester City in tonight's Premier League match-up.

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Coral have the returning Newcastle hitman as a 2/1 shot to crown his drawn-out comeback with a goal against Sven-Goran Eriksson's side in front of an expectant St James' Park. On the bench for the defeat against Chelsea it would be timely for Owen to return with a goal and of course with the January transfer window open a return to form would put him back in the shop window, especially in front of the former England coach Eriksson who is a known fan of the stiker.

"We have had games where we have created a large number of chances and you have to wonder, if Michael had been there, we might have converted a higher proportion of our chances," Allardyce said after the loss to Chelsea. "He is now back and we can only hope that with no internationals coming up we can get him fit and scoring goals again."

Allardyce certainly needs his diminutive striker back in form as he was cut from 11/8 to 11/10 to be the next manager to leave his club after Newcastle's unfortunate defeat at Stamford Bridge. Ladbrokes make Alan Shearer the 4/5 favourite to replace the former Bolton boss, who is 1/2 to not be in charge of the St James' Park outfit on the first day of next season.

Both sides are seeking a first win in the festive period. The Magpies have gained just one point and lost their last two; Manchester City have drawn all three. City are vying for successive Premier League victories at St James' Park, having claimed only their second win in 39 years in last season's corresponding fixture, although they only have one away win in the Premier League this season.

If City do the double - after a 3-1 home win in September, then you can expect the pressure to be turned up another notch on the St James' hotseat as Newcastle then face an away trip to Stoke in the third round of the FA Cup, before the Premier League visit to Manchester United, home clash with Bolton and journey to current Premier League leaders Arsenal. Big Sam will be praying that Owen can save his job and Newcastle's dwindling season.

Verdict: 2pts Owen anytime goalscorer @ 2/1 (Coral)

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