Swansea v Newcastle: Goalscorer Tip

Newcastle’s Senegalese strikers are making their fair share of headlines this season, but there’s a third musketeer in the Geordie attack who is becoming increasingly influential by the week. Hatem Ben Arfa is 7/2 (Bet365) in the anytime goalscorer market and at nearly twice the price of Cisse and Ba, he is well worthy of our consideration.

The French winger is finally coming of age after years of failing to live up to his hype. He struggled with early comparisons to Zinedine Zidane, but such is his recent brilliance on
Tyneside that his own manager is now drawing fresh comparisons with Lionel Messi. A wonderfully skilful creator is now becoming increasingly capable of finding the net himself as well.

Ben Arfa should relish his trip to Swansea because all four of his league goals have come away from the Sports Direct Arena - and all this side of Christmas. The 25-year-old has actually scored in both of his last two away games. Having put Newcastle ahead at the Emirates a few weeks ago, he really dazzled in the 3-1 victory at WBA when he again scored early on.

The Magpies have a front three who can break to deadly effect; they’re proving particularly effective on their travels in this respect. Swansea have slightly lost their way at the Liberty Stadium in recent times too; they have won just two of their last seven in Wales and kept just one clean sheet in that run. Ben Arfa may be the man to exploit any continued vulnerability.