‘Newcastle Fans Starting To Dream’ – A Word On City’s Next Opponents
- Leicester City face Newcastle United on Boxing Day at King Power Stadium
- The Premier League fixture has a 3pm kick-off
- The Evening Chronicle’s Chief Newcastle United Writer Lee Ryder has previewed the game
- Free commentary of the match will be available on LCFC.com
Following the conclusion of the FIFA World Cup, Leicester returned to action with a Carabao Cup Fourth Round win against MK Dons on Tuesday evening. Youri Tielemans, Ayoze Pérez and Jamie Vardy all found the net at Stadium MK.
However, the Boxing Day test of Newcastle at King Power Stadium (3pm kick-off), will be the Foxes’ first in the Premier League since beating West Ham United back in November, where English duo James Maddison and Harvey Barnes ensured victory.
The Magpies, on the other hand, will be hoping the month-long break, which began shortly after a 1-0 win over Chelsea at St. James Park, hasn’t hindered their momentum in the league.
“Newcastle have spent the best part of half a decade fighting against relegation,” Ryder explained during LCFC Radio’s Matchday Live. “So, it absolutely feels like they are punching above their weight.
“They’re third at the moment, but now they’ve got a taste of being up there, and you start wondering if something bigger and better can be on the table for you.
“When we sat down in pre-season, and were talking to the manager and players, mid-table stability was on the agenda. Had the supporters been offered that when the season kicked off, they would’ve taken it.
“I’ve got some friends who are Liverpool fans, and they couldn’t wait for the World Cup break, because they needed to reset, and they’ll be other teams like that. Looking at the standings, a few teams have got their breath back, and they’ll be looking at this as an opportunity.
“It’s not something that comes along in every season (a break in fixtures), so different teams will have different agendas, but Newcastle’s is to try and hold on to this brilliant position they’re in for as long as possible.”
The Chief Newcastle United Writer was asked for his player of the season so far, and spoke highly about the team's core, especially the Premier League’s Player of the Month for October, Miguel Almirón.
He continued: “The spine of the team has been crucial, Sven Botman came in from Lille for £34M in the summer, and he’s been a revelation at the back. Bruno Guimarães has been a Player of the Season candidate already, and I can see him winning awards going forward.
“Then you’ve got Callum Wilson, who’s got the goals when we’ve needed them, but probably the biggest star of them all has been Miguel [Almirón], who is the reigning Player of the Month, and won the Goal of the Month too.
“In fact, I think he won every award that was available before the World Cup. He’s our top goalscorer, and he’s been fantastic, so it would be brilliant if he could pick up where he left off, as hard as that might be.”
Ryder concluded by addressing how the expectations of Newcastle have changed so much over the last 12 months alone, and that the recent turn in ambition has got the North East excited for their return.
“We played Leicester around this time last year and it was a heavy defeat at King Power Stadium,” the journalist remembered. “It left a lot of people thinking we were going to get relegated. We were staring the Championship in the face, but that was doom and gloom times.
“Fast forward 12 months, here we are talking about the possibility of the Champions League. It will feel like a disappointment if we don’t get at least a spot in the Europa League.
“A complete turnaround and Newcastle fans are beginning to dream again, which they haven’t been able to do for many years.”
All times GMT.