Newcastle may be struggling but they are not as bad as some people perceived to be. They have won five of their last seven matches at home while Perth are just poor away from home. They were 1-1-9 throughout their away travels in 2008 and I do not think they are any better at present. They have recently strike a good patch of form but their luck will eventually run out today against a very determined home side who really need the points crucially to climb off the bottom places. Newcastle have won two of the three matches between the two played at Newcastle over the years.

The recent trend shows that the lower ranked teams are closing the gap between them and the leaders. Clubs like Gold Coast too have finally been punished by the lousier teams and I do expect Newcastle to turn up for this game. Newcastle have now gone three games without a win and their manager should be reminding them that getting a win might just kick start their campaign.

Pick: Newcastle Jets @2.50