Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson has predicted that Newcastle United will fall to a narrow loss to Tottenham Hotspur in their midweek Premier League clash.
The Magpies head to Wembley on Wednesday for their penultimate game of the season and will be looking to arrest a three-game losing streak that is threatening to take the gloss off their campaign.
Rafa Benitez’s men suffered a 2-1 loss to Watford last time out following defeats by Everton and West Bromwich Albion, and Merson has predicted that run will continue against fourth-placed Spurs.
In his predictions for Sky Sports, Merson foresees a 2-1 loss, saying that fans may have a big say on the result: “If you look at Spurs’ fixtures, then if you had to pick two teams to play at home, it would be Newcastle and Leicester. But at the same time, Newcastle do not get the chance to go to Wembley too often, do they? And their fans may make it a bit of a party. You would have expected Spurs to get something at West Brom on Saturday, though.
“I think Spurs will win, Newcastle were poor at Watford on Saturday – better second half, but it is easy to play when you are 2-0 down. They have to be careful, though, as they have good fans and if they turn up in their thousands at Wembley, they will want them to put on a show.
“And if they do not, Spurs are the type of team that can embarrass you on their day. The pressure is severely on Tottenham, though, so I think they will win 2-1.”
OPINION
While many of the Toon Army would not usually pick Tottenham as their opponents as they try to stop a three-game rot, but in many ways this looks like a good match-up for the Magpies right now. Tottenham have been left sweating over their top-four place following their loss to West Brom at the weekend, and the pressure is firmly on them to get a result on Wednesday. A loss or draw to the Magpies may see Tottenham live up to their ‘Spursy’ reputation and miss out on the Champions League after being in such a strong position. Aside from the reverse fixture this season – an opening day 2-0 loss at St. James’ Park – games against Spurs have generally treated Newcastle well recently. A 5-1 win sent the Magpies down on a high note in the 2015/16 season, and that followed a 2-1 win at White Hart Lane the same season. There will also be several Newcastle stars playing for pride and a place in Benitez’s good books, with some terrible recent performances threatening to end a good season on a sour note.
