Michael Owen has predicted Watford to defeat Newcastle United when the two sides clash at Vicarage Road on Saturday.
The BT Sport pundit shared that he expected the battle between the two sides to be a thriller but expected the Hornets to just about edge the fixture.
Owen highlighted how the Magpies struggled to cope with Liverpool on Boxing Day while the Hornets found themselves being dismantled by Chelsea playmaker Eden Hazard.
“Watford have won their last three home games against Newcastle in all competitions and the Hornets will be looking for revenge having been, arguably, unfortunate to lose the reverse fixture at St James’s Park earlier in the season,” wrote the pundit for BetVictor.
“The Hornets were undone by an Eden Hazard inspired Chelsea midweek while Newcastle found Liverpool too hot to handle at Anfield. I expect United to score but Watford to edge a thriller.”
OPINION
Owen backing Watford to win is no surprise but him expecting the clash against the Magpies to be a thriller certainly is one. The Magpies have only wowed on a few occasions this season and it’s hard to see their battle with the Hornets being a feast for the eyes. This is especially when you consider that their meeting earlier in the campaign bordered on being a snooze-fest if anything. Owen must really be feeling festive to be expecting any form of excitement from this clash. However it would be nice if the pundit is right about his thriller prediction while being wrong about the Magpies being about to suffer another defeat. If Rafa Benitez’s side lose at Vicarage Road on Saturday then they are well and truly in the relegation battle and it doesn’t exactly look promising. Every team around them is bound to improve by bringing fresh faces to their clubs in January but there’s no guarantee Mike Ashley will splash the cash on improving the Magpies’ squad.
