Always like +1 on a home team because obviously so few games are decided by multiple goals. I lean a push here but maybe we get lucky between two really struggling teams in the relegation zone. Newcastle has just one road league win and has surrendered at least one goal in 11 straight overall. No. 1 keeper Nick Pope is dealing with an illness. Appears both clubs will be rather short-handed. Burnley, sitting six points adrift of safety, has drawn its past two. Newcastle won the home leg 2-1 on Dec. 6. The Clarets were down to 10 men for the second half.

At the halfway point of the EPL campaign, Burnley is on course for a quick return to the Championship, sinking further into the drop-zone quicksand, but Scott Parker's troops are not going down without a fight after scratching out a pair of draws vs. Bournemouth and Everton the past two matchdays, and a rare clean sheet on the weekend vs. David Moyes and his boys. This slight uptick in form might be enough to salvage something at Turf Moor, because Newcastle remain unconvincing, especially on the road, where Eddie Howe's bunch has won just once in the Prem, as its anti-Barcelona style (possession game that rarely converts into goals) is keeping the Magpies in the bottom half of the table. Play Burnley on Spread.

I know. I know. I know... that Newcastle are significantly worse when playing on the road. I also know that last season Burnley were a fortress when playing at home and tend to get a bit of a bump when playing at home in front of their supporters. I do not care. I don't believe it'll be enough to stop Newcastle from securing all three points. While Newcastle enter this match off a loss, it's a loss in which on any given day they should have won. They had more shots, more possession, more corners, it was an off day. I don't see them having back-to-back, off days.

Newcastle were embarrassed by Manchester United in their last matchday in which the team failed to register a single goal. While this team does tend to struggle on the road compared to home, this still is not an okay result. The Magpies will look to turn things around in the same week as they take on a Burnley side who is sitting second to the bottom of the table, only ahead of Wolves. Newcastle will look to end the year with a win, and will play their best striking XI to make sure to maximize points, even on the road.