Michael Owen backed Newcastle United to secure at least a draw against Brighton on Saturday and predicted it would be a low-scoring game.
The former Magpies forward shared that he thought Rafa Benitez’s team played some terrific football in the first 45 minutes of their 3-2 defeat to Manchester United ahead of the international break, and raved about attacker Yoshinori Muto in particular.
Owen shared that he was excited to see more of the Magpies’ summer recruit but claimed he might not be on the winning side on Saturday as a resilient Seagulls side may deny their opponents all three points.
“Had referee Anthony Taylor been looking at the ball, and not what was happening in the penalty area, then Newcastle would likely have been 3-0 up at halftime at Old Trafford last time,” wrote Owen for BetVictor.
“It wasn’t meant to be, however, but I thought the Magpies played some terrific football in the first 45 minutes.
“I was particularly impressed with Yoshinori Muto against Manchester United and am looking forward to seeing more of the Japanese striker. I appreciate it is early days, but it was a very favourable first impression.
“United have, however, lost their first four home games this season and were disappointing against Leicester last time. They may have to settle for a point in a low-scoring game against the resilient Seagulls.”
OPINION
This is quite a positive prediction by Owen considering that must pundits are all doom and gloom regarding the Magpies. Benitez’s side dropped a 2-0 lead at Old Trafford ahead of the break but their performance in the first-half showed the can cause their opponents in the Premier League problems. If the Magpies’ players can deliver the goods across 90 minutes then the Seagulls will be able to be broken down despite their defensive strength. The only disappointing part of Owen’s prediction is that he believes that the Magpies’ game on Saturday will be a low-scoring affair, which doesn’t paint the most exciting picture. However it is promising that he has chosen to highlight a Magpies player ahead of the game and even more encouraging that he has picked an attacking to rave about. Muto was finally truly unleashed against Manchester United and looked the part. It’s no surprise that Owen is keen to see more of him as the Japanese forward could be the player that improves the Magpies’ record infront of goal.
