The pre-season is back in action with another round of friendly matches before the new season as Fiorentina lock horns with Eddie Howe's Newcastle United side at St. James' Park on Saturday.
Newcastle United vs Fiorentina Preview
Fiorentina finished in eighth place in the Serie A standings and have not been at their best over the past year. La Viola eased past Grosseto by a comfortable 4-0 margin in their previous game and will need to work hard to achieve a similar scoreline this weekend.
Newcastle United, on the other hand, secured a fourth-place finish in the Premier League table last season and have been impressive over the past year. The Magpies edged Brighton & Hove Albion to a narrow 2-1 victory last week and will be confident ahead of this match.
Newcastle United vs Fiorentina Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- Newcastle United have never played an official game against Fiorentina and will need to adapt to a new opponent going into the match this week.
- Newcastle United ended their Premier League campaign on a mixed note last season - they were unbeaten in their last four games but managed to win only one of these matches.
- Fiorentina ended their 2022-23 Serie A campaign on a strong note and were unbeaten in their last four league matches of the season, winning three of these matches.
- Newcastle United conceded only 33 goals in their 38 matches in the Premier League last season - the joint-best defensive record in the competition alongside Manchester City.
- Callum Wilson, Miguel Almiron and Alexander Isak were impressive for Newcastle United last season and scored 39 goals between them for the Magpies in all competitions.
Newcastle United vs Fiorentina Prediction
Newcastle United have an excellent squad at their disposal and will be intent on taking it up a notch in the coming months. The likes of Callum Wilson and Alexander Isak can be lethal on their day and will look to add to their goal tallies in this fixture.
Fiorentina can pack a punch on their day but have been plagued by inconsistency over the past year. Newcastle United are the better team at the moment and should be able to win this game.
Prediction: Newcastle United 3-1 Fiorentina
Newcastle United vs Fiorentina Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Newcastle United
Tip 2: Game to have over 2.5 goals - Yes
Tip 3: Fiorentina to score first - Yes
Tip 4: Alexander Isak to score - Yes