Newcastle may have been a little fortunate to have emerged from their clash with Chelsea last weekend with a share of the spoils, however Chris Hughton will have been buoyed by several key performances in amongst the snow showers and Chelsea pressure.
West Brom will surely be kicking themselves. Having finally ended their winless streak in the league last weekend, the Baggies crashed out of the Carling Cup to struggling Championship outfit, Ipswich. Roberto Di Matteo will argue that anything that could distract his players from the goal of Premier League survival is an unwelcome addition to the calendar, however players themselves may see it a little differently- so close as they were to a Wembley appearance.
Both sides are comfortably sitting in mid-table, however with games coming thick and fast, the Premier League landscape can alter very quickly. Newcastle have not been very good at home thus far, so will be looking to keep up their decent away record.
Prediction: 2-1
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