Canberra Raiders vs Newcastle Knights Prediction: This game could go either way

National Rugby League action moves to GIO Stadium in Canberra, where the Canberra Raiders will play the Newcastle Knights. The last meeting of this game ended in the Raiders' favor. Can the Knights on the road take something in this encounter as favorites?

Canberra Raiders are coming off a third consecutive defeat, and in this game, they will look to change the narratives. In their last weekend game, the Canberra Raiders took on Melbourne Storm on the road, and they could only score 6 points while conceding 16. 

However, Canberra Raiders have only won just one of the prior four games to that win, coming against the Dolphins after extra time. In the meantime, their encounters against Sydney Roosters, NQ Cowboys, and Wests Tigers ended in defeats. 

This season in the NRL, Canberra Raiders have accumulated 18 points, which positions them 12th in the league standings. The hosts have scored 302 points this season while conceding 329, coming in 15 league games.

The Newcastle Knights ended a run of three games without a win, securing a 34-26 win over the Parramatta Eels last weekend. In that encounter, the Newcastle Knights were behind at the end of the first half, which ended 10-12. However, the second-half performance saw them score 24 points, this time being decent in defense with just 14 conceded. 

However, prior encounters to that win saw the Newcastle Knights lose to Canterbury Bulldogs, Melbourne Storm, and Penrith Panthers in games that ended 2-32, 36-28, and 18-26. 

Newcastle Knights have 18 points accumulated this season from 15 matches, the same as their opponents. The visiting team has scored 282 points this season while conceding 329 in the same run. 

I am backing the Canberra Raiders to cover the spread in this game. The Newcastle Knights are favored in this game, but their overall season performances have not been too exception plus, they are on the road. The Canberra Raiders have struggled lately, and we could only expect them to display top-level play here and a win for the host looks promising.