Newcastle United are in a troubling run of form that has seen the Magpies slide down the Premier League table to a position of just a single point above the relegation zone.
The Magpies have not tasted victory since a narrow win over Crystal Palace towards the end of October and have since then lost seven of their last eight, only picking up one point during that run which came in a 2-2 draw with West Brom.
All the talk on Tyneside continues to surround the ongoing takeover talks between Mike Ashley and Amanda Staveley but there is concern that the Magpies could find themselves in a position that is extremely difficult to come back from.
Things certainly don’t get any easier for Rafael Benitez’s side this weekend as they travel to face North London giants Arsenal, who have taken just two points out of their last six and need a big upturn in form.
Former Gunners defender Paul Merson expects them to find their feet again this weekend, as he predicted a huge victory for his old side. Writing for Sky Sports in his weekly predictions, he said:
“Nothing has changed at Arsenal. We are 17 games into the season and they are below Burnley. That is embarrassing. You can understand after five or six games, if someone gets off to a flying start, but this is 17 games in. I don’t know where Arsenal are going. I have said before that Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil will probably stay but now I think they have to go because they are doing nothing.”
“Still, I expect them to win this game. If they could have handpicked any team to play it would be Newcastle, who have completely gone. Why have Arsenal done well at home and not away? Because it’s easier to play at home. You have a lot of the ball and teams come and play a different way. The teams that win trophies go away from home and stand up and win games.”
Defeat for Newcastle this weekend could send the Magpies into the Premier League’s bottom three.
