Premier League xG table: Newcastle United compared to Sunderland, Fulham and more ahead of derby day
How does Newcastle United's attacking threat compare to their rivals across the Premier League?
Newcastle United are currently preparing for one of the biggest weeks of their season with away days at Bayer Leverkusen and Sunderland on the agenda before they host Fulham in the Carabao Cup quarter-final.
The mood within the Magpies squad is positive after Eddie Howe’s men bounced back from successive Premier League away defeats against West Ham United and Brentford by embarking on an unbeaten run of four games that was kickstarted by a fine home win against Manchester City. Since seeing off Pep Guardiola’s side, United have claimed four points from a St James Park double header with Tottenham Hotspur and Burnley and a long-awaited away win at Everton.
The priority at this point in time will be Wednesday night’s visit to Bayer Leverkusen as Howe and his players look to take another step towards the knockout stages of the Champions League - but Sunday’s visit to the Stadium of Light is looming large as Wearside hosts its first Wear-Tyne derby clash since October 2015. For Newcastle, the meeting with the Black Cats offers an opportunity to leapfrog their rivals in the table for the first time this season and create further momentum heading into the latest step of their defence of the Carabao Cup.
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Much has been made of Newcastle’s attacking play following the signings of Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa during the summer months and there was relief around St James Park when the latter finally made his Magpies debut against Burnley on Saturday after battling back from an injury suffered on international duty. There is a hope the former Brentford man can help improve United’s attacking output as they prepare to head into their most important period of the season and one that define their prospects of success in a number of competitions during the second half of the campaign.
But how does Newcastle’s attacking threat and the quality of the chances they have created in the league this season compare to their rivals across the Premier League? We take a look at the latest Premier League expected goals (xG) table to see where the Magpies rank.
Premier League xG table
1st: Arsenal - 1.72xG 2nd: Liverpool - 1.71xG 3rd: Manchester City - 1.70xG 4th: Manchester United - 1.69xG 5th: Chelsea - 1.64xG 6th: Brighton and Hove Albion - 1.58xG 7th: AFC Bournemouth - 1.54xG 8th: Newcastle United - 1.53xG 9th: Nottingham Forest - 1.44xG 10th: Aston Villa - 1.37xG 11th: Fulham - 1.35xG 12th: Leeds United - 1.34xG 13th: Crystal Palace - 1.32xG 14th: Everton - 1.26xG 15th: Brentford - 1.22xG 16th: Tottenham Hotspur - 1.21xG 17th: West Ham United - 1.21xG 18th: Sunderland - 1.10xG 19th: Wolverhampton Wanderers - 1.08xG 20th: Burnley - 0.99xG
What has Eddie Howe said about Newcastle United’s games with Bayer Leverkusen and Sunderland?
Speaking after Saturday’s win against Burnley, the Magpies boss said: "It was a tough game and the vibrant second half I was hoping for didn’t happen, but we’ve taken 10 points from the last possible 12. That's no mean feat. We grew into it. Bruno scored a great goal. Our plan was to put the ball right on the goalkeeper today. There were some bright spots in our play - not enough from our perspective - we know it wasn't our best performance - but we got a win....we're moving in the right direction. We've got a lot of massive games on the horizon. We now go back to the Champions League. There are big incentives for us to do well in this game. Sunderland on the horizon will be a massive game."
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