Michael Owen has predicted that Newcastle United will be resigned to yet another replay in this weekend’s fourth round FA Cup clash against Watford.
The Magpies forced a replay against Blackburn in the third round after a 1-1 draw in the first game, but they then secured a convincing 4-2 win at Ewood Park to book their place in the next round.
However, despite the dominant display, the former Liverpool forward has said that it will take another 90 minutes in order to separate the two Premier League sides.
“Seven goals in their last two games for Newcastle but, more importantly, three valuable Premier League points courtesy of an emphatic 3-0 win over Cardiff at the weekend,” he said in his BetVictor blog.
“United have already taken four points from Watford in the league this season although the Hornets will feel aggrieved to come away from St James’s Park earlier in the campaign with nothing to show for their efforts, having created a number of chances in their 1-0 defeat.
“The sides played out a 1-1 draw at Vicarage Road over Christmas and I feel it will take a replay to split these evenly-matched sides.”
OPINION
Owen has hit the nail on the head with his prediction for this upcoming fixture. Newcastle made tough work of overcoming a Championship side to make it to this stage, so there is no doubt that they will encounter the same type of difficulty this time around, especially against one of their rivals. The Magpies will have to be rather wary about the threat the Hornets pose, as they were rather unlucky not to have come away with anything from their 1-0 defeat to United earlier in the season. The most probable scenario is that Newcastle will have to play at least another 90 minutes in order to progress, something which is not set in stone just yet. They will need to be at their best this weekend, otherwise yet more misery will be heaped on Rafa Benitez, and it is not like he does not have enough to deal with this season already.
