Newcastle will have an extra incentive to stop Erling Haaland from scoring when they host Manchester City on Saturday afternoon.
Haaland On Verge Of Breaking Shearer’s Record
Manchester City travel up to St James’ Park to take on Newcastle at 17:30 on Saturday evening.
The Magpies’ home and away form is drastically different ahead of the tie. On the road, they have lost each of their last three, while at home, they have prevailed in each of their last five.
It seems that Newcastle’s concerning away form trumps their impressive home form however, as Eddie Howe is currently the third favourite in the Premier League sack race odds market.
Meanwhile, the Cityzens have won each of their last four matches in all competitions.
Their most recent clash ended in a comfortable 3-0 victory over reigning champions Liverpool.
Erling Haaland, who leads the division’s goalscoring charts with 14 goals – six goals clear of second place, netted the opener to score his fourth goal in his last three domestic matches.
But while Newcastle are largely inconsistent and Haaland is thriving, Howe’s side will have some extra motivation to keep the ex-Dortmund star quiet when they meet this weekend.
This is as he is closing in on a Premier League record held by Tyneside legend Alan Shearer.
Shearer currently holds the record for being the fastest player to reach 100 goals in the division’s history, doing so in 124 matches back in the 1995-96 season, however Haaland is just one goal away from snatching that title, currently sitting on 99 goals in 108 English top-flight games.
Achieving this feat, which he is almost certain to do, will add to his ever-growing list of achievements, but the Magpies will be eager to ensure that it isn’t done on their doorstep.
Doing so won’t come easy, as Haaland’s fine form extended into November’s internationals.
The forward chipped in with two braces against Estonia and Italy in World Cup qualifying over the last week. His exploits helped confirm his side’s qualification for next summer’s tournament.
For club and country in competitive matches this term, the 25-year-old has now registered a remarkable 31 goals and three assists in only 19 appearances. Simply unstoppable.
Haaland’s Record Against Newcastle
Despite his stunning form since the start of the campaign being a major concern, Newcastle are able to take some confidence from Haaland’s record against them in previous meetings.
Across six matches in all competitions, he has managed just one goal against them.
Additionally, he has provided two assists and has picked up one yellow card.
His goal against the Tynesiders came in his first appearance against the club, during a 3-3 draw at St James’ Park on the third matchday of City’s title-winning 2022-23 campaign.
This means he has failed to score in five consecutive appearances against Newcastle.
Dan Burn and co will be desperate to extend that record to six successive matches when they meet on Saturday, as they look to keep Shearer’s iconic record intact for a little while longer.
