Newcastle United face a stern battle ahead of them if they’re to avoid an immediate return to the Championship, with the Magpies sitting just a single point above the relegation zone.
Rafael Benitez bolstered his side in January with the additions of Kenedy, Martin Dubravka and Islam Slimani on-loan and the Spaniard will hope that the new trio will provide an inspiration to a struggling Magpies squad.
However, Newcastle are handed a difficult run of fixtures over the next five games as they’ll have to tackle three of the Premier League’s top-four chasing sides, starting with Sunday’s hosting of Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United.
The Portuguese boss has rather surprisingly never won at St. James’ Park but BBC pundit Mark Lawrenson expects that run to come to a close this weekend, predicting a 2-0 victory for the Red Devils.
Writing in his weekly predictions, the former Liverpool defender said:
“Newcastle have not won at home in the league since October and this fixture is not exactly helpful when it comes to them trying to improve on that poor run at St James’ Park. I did think the Magpies looked a little bit better going forward early on in their draw with Crystal Palace last weekend, but it did not really last.”
“Kenedy, who has joined on loan from Chelsea, looked really good on the left too – but he was taken off before the hour mark and, by the end, Newcastle were hanging on for a point. It is hard to see Newcastle offering much more of a threat against a Manchester United side who easily saw off Huddersfield last weekend.”
“Islam Slimani could make his debut and should give Newcastle more of a focal point in attack but I just think we might see a classic Rafa Benitez performance at home against a top-six team – which is a bit like parking 10 buses, not just one.”
Defeat for Newcastle could see them slip into the Premier League’s bottom three, increasing the pressure on the side.
