Newcastle United captain Jamaal Lascelles has suggested that his side will need five wins to secure Premier League survival, and believes they can cause an upset against champions Manchester City with the home “fans behind us”.
The Magpies managed an impressive 3-0 win over Cardiff City on Saturday, lifting them two points clear of the drop zone.
Their next match is a home clash against Pep Guadiola’s City.
Speaking to the Chronicle, the 25-year-old said: “I think five wins will probably secure it for us, so those games are going to be important
“It’s nice to know we have those home games coming up and we will want to make sure we get wins in those games.
“We have quality all over the pitch, with [Salomon] Rondon and Ayoze [Perez] up front, then good centre-halves, but really quality all over the place. Personally [I feel] that’s what the difference will be, I think.
“We have to take it step by step, and we need to concentrate on Watford, Man City and Tottenham first. I fancy us against Man City with our fans behind us too and their style of play against ours.”
OPINION
Newcastle’s season isn’t going to be won or lost in matches against the likes Manchester City, but it is a promising sign that the Toon Army are picking up points against the teams around them. Rafa Benitez’s side are unbeaten in seven matches against other teams in the bottom seven and have picked up 13 points in that run. If they can replicate that and of form in the second half of the season, they should have just enough to survive, but it’s important to build on the momentum that a win like Saturday’s will give them. The Magpies aren’t a great team by any stretch of the imagination, but Benitez has instilled enough grit and tenacity in his players to probably see them over the line. Ultimately, it will come down to if there are three teams worse than them in the league, and at the moment, you would have to say that there are, just about.
