Saturday’s football tips: Manchester City 6/5 to be leading tired Newcastle at end of both halves

Fahad Umar
February 20, 2026
2:28 pm

Manchester City have the chance to pile more pressure on Arsenal in the Premier League title race when they take on Newcastle United at the Etihad tonight.

The Gunners could only draw at Molineux in midweek so Pep Guardiola’s men can cut the gap to just two points if they beat the Magpies.

Eddie Howe’s men claimed a morale-boosting 6-1 win over Qarabag in the Champions League on Wednesday but that long trip to Baku could leave them feeling a bit leggy.

Manchester City vs Newcastle United top betting tips

Newcastle have caused Manchester City plenty of problems in recent seasons but only when they’ve been roared on by the St James’ Park crowd.

Their record at the Etihad is wretched, losing on their last 12 visits, so it’s no surprise to see the home win at just 1/2 with Betfred.

With City such heavy favourites, it’s hard finding value but backing them to be winning at half-time and full-time does boost the odds to 6/5 with 888Sport.

Antoine Semenyo has made a big impact for Guardiola since signing from Bournemouth and scored against Newcastle in the EFL Cup semi-final win. He’s 31/20 at BetMGM to repeat the trick tonight.

Aston Villa vs Leeds United

Nobody is really talking about Aston Villa as title contenders but they can close to within five points of Arsenal if they beat Leeds United at home today.

Unai Emery’s men crashed out of the FA Cup to Newcastle last weekend but that could actually help them as it eases an already congested fixture schedule.

Villa are chasing a top-four finish and are favourites to go all the way in the Europa League so they will need every player in the squad to step up as they fight on two fronts.

Leeds United should give them a tough test this afternoon, with Daniel Farke’s side losing just two of their last 12 games in all competitions.

Despite that fine run, Leeds are still just six points above the drop zone so they will be as desperate for the points as Villa.

We should see goals at both ends, given BTTS has landed in four of the last five for Farke’s side and in two of the last three for Villa. Combining BTTS with over 2.5 goals pays 6/5 with Betfred.

Interested in why both teams scoring is such a strong angle? Check out our Masterclass on BTTS and sharpen your match-reading game.

I’m going to play it a bit safer and combine shots on target for Villa’s Morgan Rogers and Leeds striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin. That pays 159/100 at BetMGM.

Chelsea vs Burnley

Chelsea have been ticking along nicely under Liam Rosenior and they should be too strong for doomed Burnley at Stamford Bridge.

Scott Parker is under pressure at Turf Moor after being knocked out of the FA Cup by Mansfield Town while the Blues have won eight of their last 11 games in all competitions.

That’s why Chelsea are just 2/9 at Bet365 but backing them to win both halves boost the odds to 6/4 with William Hill.

Pedro Neto’s confidence will be up after an FA Cup hat-trick against Hull and the Chelsea winger looks good at 11/10 with BetMGM for a goal or assist.