Newcastle Falcons vs Gloucester Prediction: Cherry & Whites to pick off Falcons

Gloucester will be looking to keep themselves in the mix for the Gallagher Premiership play-offs when they make the trip to Kingston Park to face the Newcastle Falcons on Friday night (19:45, TNT Sports Extra).

Alex Jack provides his best bets in his Newcastle Falcons vs Gloucester prediction piece, as well as all the essential team news and match odds for the clash in the north east.

Team News

Newcastle go with Adam Brocklebank, Jamie Blamire and Murray McCallum in the front row, with locks John Hawkins and Sebastian de Chaves in the second row.

The Falcons’ back row consists of Cermon Neild, Tom Gordon and Callum Chick, while Sam Stuart and Brett Connon start in the half-backs.

Sammy Arnold and Alex Hearle get the nod in the centres, with Ben Stevenson, Ben Redshaw and Elliott Obatoyinbo in the back three.

Rugby Union Odds

As for Gloucester, Ciaran Knight, Jack Singleton and Kiril Gotovtsev start in the front row, with locks Arthur Clarke and Freddie Clarke in the engine room.

Freddie Thomas, skipper Lewis Ludlow and Ruan Ackerman start in the back row, with Tomos Williams and Gareth Anscombe combining once again in the half-backs.

Seb Atkinson and Chris Harris start in the centres, while Jack Cotgreave, Christian Wade and Santi Carreras complete the Gloucester backline.

Newcastle Falcons vs Gloucester Odds

Newcastle Falcons are the 7/1 underdogs on Friday night, implying a 12.5% probability, while Gloucester are 1/12 to head back to the West Country with the victory.

A draw at Kingston Park is currently 22/1, while Gloucester are 20/21 with -7.5 in the first half handicap market.

Gloucester -18 handicap @ 5/4

With the battle for the top-four places set to go right down to the wire, every point counts for Gloucester at this crucial stage of the season.

Newcastle, on the other hand, know they are destined to finish bottom of the pile, with the 10th-placed Falcons 13 points behind ninth-place Exeter Chiefs with just two rounds of the regular season remaining.

Gloucester will host the current Premiership champions Northampton Saints on the final day of the regular season, but first, they must negotiate the banana skin that is a trip to Kingston Park.

The Cherry & Whites suffered a 22-17 defeat on their last visit to Newcastle, but that game was in the Premiership Rugby Cup with Gloucester fielding a much-changed side.

In the Premiership, Gloucester have been the dominant force in this fixture, winning eight of their last 11 league games against the Falcons.

The Cherry and Whites have breezed to comfortable wins in their last two Premiership meetings with Newcastle, winning 54-14 and 36-7.

While both those games took place at Kingsholm, Gloucester can do a similar job at Kingston Park as they chase the bonus point win and overcoming the -18 handicap should be no issue here for the visitors.

Find more Rugby Union Betting Tips here at Betfred Insights