Newcastle United head to Luton Town tomorrow afternoon (sorry for the tardiness on getting this preview posted! It has been a hectic holiday season here at The Sports Bank) The injury-riddled Toon are set to take on the Premier League club with the largest growing fanbase on social media.
At least as far as Instagram is concerned, where Luton have seen a 336.4%+ growth in their number of IG followers in 2023. That’s 300% higher growth than their fellow recently promoted brethren Burnley (35.5+). So they got that going for them, which is nice.
Newcastle United at Luton Town FYIs
Kickoff: Sat. Dec. 23, 3pm, Kenilworth Road
Newcastle United Preview Content: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
Google Result Probability: Newcastle 58% Draw 23% Luton Town 19%
Premier League Form: Newcastle WLLWW Everton LLLWL
Premier League Standing: Newcastle 6th, 29 pts Luton Town 18th, 9 pts
Will they have some moments on Saturday that could make for very shareable photos, videos, Reels and Stories on the Gram? Sure, probably, but we don’t think they’ll ultimately get the result they’re looking for here.
Here is the best bet that we think Newcastle manager Eddie Howe can make, in order to ensure his side gets the three points here, instead of the hosts.
Newcastle United Starting XI Prediction at Luton Town
Martin Dubravka; Kierian Trippier, Livramento, Jamal Lascelles, Sven Botman; Bruno Guimaraes, Sean Longstaff, Lewis Miley; Anthony Gordon, Miguel Almiron; Alexander Isak
Prediction: Newcastle United 2, Luton Town
The Geordies are certainly “embattled” right now, to say the least, but I do think they’ll get the W here, and quite easily.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now, while writing for the International Baseball Writers Association of America. You can follow the website on Twitter.