Darren Bent was asked whether Newcastle United would be able to get their first win of the season against Leicester City on Saturday and claimed they could if they addressed two issues.
The former Sunderland forward hesitated when answering whether the Magpies could get all three points against the Foxes before backing them to get a result.
Bent insisted that Saturday’s clash between the two Premier League clubs would be tight but believes Magpies could get a result if they start the game faster than they have in previous games and if they find a solution to their lack of goals.
“It’s an intriguing one, I think they can beat Leicester, they can get a result against them, it’s been a tough start for Newcastle,” said Bent on Sky Sports News (Friday September 28, 11:36am).
“There’s a lot going on at Newcastle with Rafa saying about signings he wanted and not getting them in, so it’s a difficult one but yeah they can do.
“I wouldn’t say Leicester are on fantastic form at the moment, erm it’s going to be an interesting game, it’s going to be a tight affair, both teams need the points.
“I believe Newcastle can get the victory but ultimately it depends what kinda of start, they’ve come out of the blocks quite slow, found themselves one down and can’t back into it.
“They’ve not really scored enough goals either so I believe they can win, whether they can or not, will be difficult but I’ll say they will get a result but it’ll be tight.”
OPINION
Bent is far from a popular figure at St James Park due to his Sunderland connections but a positive prediction is always nice to hear. A lot of pundits are avoiding backing the Magpies this season after their disappointing start to the campaign which has left them in the Premier League relegation zone after the first few games. Yet while Bent seems to be reluctant to put his neck on the line by backing the Magpies, he does ultimately say they can get a victory on Saturday. The former England international hits the nail on the head with the two hurdles currently blocking the Magpies from racking up points as well. The Magpies have been slow at the start of games and have been punished as a result. Rafa Benitez’s side best first half this season was arguably against Arsenal but as soon as the second half started, the Magpies crumbled and were brushed aside by their opponents.
