MATCHDAY: Newcastle plays Palace after back-to-back losses

Published Nov. 26, 2020 7:01 p.m. ET

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A look at what’s happening around European soccer on Friday:

ENGLAND

Newcastle looks to avoid a third straight Premier League loss when it plays at Crystal Palace. Newcastle will welcome back top scorer Callum Wilson. Since signing from Bournemouth over the summer, the striker has scored six goals in eight Premier League appearances but missed last weekend's loss at Chelsea with a hamstring problem. Palace is without Wilfried Zaha, who is in isolation with the coronavirus. With 13 points from nine games, Palace is two points better off than Newcastle.

SPAIN

Valladolid hosts Levante looking for its third victory in a row after a winless start to its Spanish league campaign. The team owned by former Brazil great Ronaldo has nine points from 10 matches. Levante is two points behind, just inside the relegation zone with a game in hand. Levante has drawn its last four matches by a 1-1 score. It had lost three straight before that. Valladolid ended its eight-match winless streak with consecutive victories against Athletic Bilbao and Granada.

GERMANY

Werder Bremen can set a curious Bundesliga record at Wolfsburg. Bremen’s battling 1-1 draw at Bayern Munich last weekend was its fifth in a row, tying the record with Bayer Leverkusen, which previously recorded five consecutive 1-1 draws. Wolfsburg has drawn five of its eight games so far, so another share of points on Friday would surprise no one. Wolfsburg and Leverkusen, which hosts Hertha Berlin on Sunday, are the only two remaining unbeaten teams in the league.

FRANCE

Rennes visits struggling Strasbourg needing to snap a miserable run of form which has seen the early-season frontrunner win just once in the past 10 games overall. Rennes has now dropped down to seventh place and is conceding careless goals. At least Rennes can rely on a decent away record, though, having lost only one of its last six league trips. That was away to leader Paris Saint-Germain. But the Rennes defense must keep an eye on striker Ludovic Ajorque, who netted last weekend and will confident of adding to his four league goals.

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Wilfried Zaha

Ludovic Ajorque

Bournemouth

Newcastle

Levante

Leverkusen

Chelsea

VfL Wolfsburg

Rennes

Crystal Palace