Stepping out in front of a raucous St James' Park for the final time this season, Champions League-chasing Newcastle United welcome basement-battling Leicester City to Tyneside for Monday night's Premier League showdown.
Eddie Howe's men stormed past Brighton & Hove Albion in a 4-1 romping in midweek, while the Foxes' survival hopes suffered another damaging blow in a 3-0 reverse to Liverpool.
Match preview
One week on from witnessing Brighton serve Arsenal a slice of humble pie at their Emirates home, the Seagulls were subjected to a dose of their own medicine against Newcastle, who pressed the living daylights out of Roberto De Zerbi's side and took a deserved two-goal lead into the break through Dan Burn and a Deniz Undav own goal.
The latter redeemed himself early in the second half to ostensibly set up a nervy finale for the Toon Army, but those in black and white were celebrating come the end of a frenetic added-time period, where Callum Wilson and Bruno Guimaraes contributed to the rout to leave the Magpies on the brink of a long-awaited Champions League return.
Not since the 2002-03 season have Newcastle dined at Europe's top table, and they remain third in the rankings following results on Saturday - a point on Monday would seal a top-four finish thanks to Liverpool's draw with Aston Villa.
Demolishing Brighton in the manner that they did was just what the doctor ordered for a Newcastle side who had been thwarted by Arsenal and Leeds United in their previous two gameweeks, but amid a nine-game run without a clean sheet in the top flight, Howe's side can no longer proudly claim to be the stingiest defence in the division - their 32 goals conceded is bettered by Manchester City's 31 ahead of the champions' clash with Chelsea.
However, the Magpies enter Monday's penultimate Premier League fixture on the back of five wins from their last six at St James' Park, and seven of their last nine final home games of the season have ended in victory - only Liverpool have spoiled the Toon party in 2019 and 2020 during that sequence, and Leicester can empathise in that regard.
In keeping with the theme of Liverpool ruining a pleasant day out for the home crowd, the vexed King Power faithful made their feelings perfectly clear when Jurgen Klopp's side taught the Foxes a footballing lesson last Monday, hitting Dean Smith's men for three without reply.
After weathering an early storm from those in blue, Liverpool hit Smith's men with two Curtis Jones-sized sucker punches as the Merseyside native bagged a brace in a chastening three-minute period for Leicester, whose fans headed for the exits en masse after Trent Alexander-Arnold picked out the top corner with aplomb in the second half.
Starting the penultimate gameweek of the season two points adrift of safety in 19th place, Leicester City can no longer catch Nottingham Forest thanks to their win over Arsenal, but Everton's draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers means that the Foxes could propel themselves out of the relegation zone with a win if Leeds United fail to beat West Ham United on Sunday.
A brief three-game unbeaten run between the end of April and beginning of May sparked some cautious optimism, but that has since been replaced by perennial pessimism for the Foxes faithful, who have witnessed their team concede eight goals across their last 180 minutes of football.
Smith's side have also strung together an unsightly seven-game winless run on the road - albeit while scoring in each of their last five away matches - and they have lost their last three contests with Newcastle, most recently bowing out of the EFL Cup with a 2-0 quarter-final defeat at St James' Park.
Team News
One sour note of Newcastle's drubbing of Brighton was the serious-looking injury to Joe Willock, who was taken off with a hamstring problem just after the hour mark, and Howe is not optimistic about the 23-year-old's chances of playing again this season.
The hosting manager has also admitted concern over a few bumps and bruises from Thursday night's intense battle - Kieran Trippier and Joelinton will both need late fitness tests - while neither Sean Longstaff (ankle) nor Jacob Murphy (groin) trained in the week.
Emil Krafth (ACL), Jamaal Lascelles (calf), Matt Ritchie (knee) and the exiled Ryan Fraser all remain out of contention as well, and only a second Premier League start should come the way of Elliot Anderson as Willock begins his rehabilitation.
In contrast, there is better news on the injury front for Leicester, as Smith has confirmed that Kelechi Iheanacho should be fit and raring to go for Monday's game as he enters the final stages of his recovery from a groin issue, although the Foxes boss admitted that his recuperation has been fast-tracked.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is more touch and go with an ankle concern, however, while Caglar Soyuncu (thigh) should not return until the final game of the season, which may be his last-ever match in a Leicester jersey ahead of an expected move to Atletico Madrid.
James Justin (knee), Danny Ward (finger), Ryan Bertrand (fitness) and Jannik Vestergaard (calf) are all taking up beds in the King Power infirmary too, and Smith may consider a recall for Harry Souttar, one of the few players capable of going toe-to-toe for height with Dan Burn.
Newcastle United possible starting lineup:
Pope; Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn; Anderson, Guimaraes, Almiron; Saint-Maximin, Wilson, Gordon
Leicester City possible starting lineup:
Iversen; Pereira, Evans, Souttar, Castagne; Ndidi, Soumare; Tete, Maddison, Barnes; Iheanacho
We say: Newcastle United 2-0 Leicester City
Given the energy that the hosts expended by pressing Brighton off the park, and the wealth of fresh fitness concerns for Howe to factor in, Newcastle may not be able to produce a similarly relentless showing for the second time in the space of five days.
However, Leicester are a team almost completely devoid of confidence right now and are hardly the most difficult proposition away from home, so we still expect the Magpies to ease to a routine win, confirming their spot in the Champions League pots and all but consigning Leicester to Championship football.
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