Paul Merson has picked out Newcastle United trio Ayoze Perez, Miguel Almiron and Salomon Rondon as being key in their clash with Burnley on Tuesday.
Perez and Rondon both found the back of the net in the Magpies’ 2-0 victory over Huddersfield Town on Saturday, and Merson feels the hosts will win again at St James’ Park, this time 2-1.
“Burnley have picked up, and Newcastle looked really lively against Huddersfield. I’m going to tip Newcastle to steal it; Longstaff looked decent and the front three look energetic,” he wrote on the Sky Sports website.
“When you often see Rafa Benitez’s side set up, they’re out to not lose before they win, but now he has these three up front – Rondon, Perez and Almiron – he has players who can make things happen. Those three are definitely as good as anyone in the bottom half. He can relax now, they’re a bit more open and entertaining.”
OPINION
It’s funny how much difference once game can make, isn’t it? There wasn’t much excitement about Newcastle as a team from those outside the city heading into the Huddersfield game, but suddenly everyone’s got a bit of the Magpie fever. The arrival of Almiron seems to have given everyone a lift, and he’s made a huge difference to Benitez’s side already. They looked so much more dynamic going forward against the Terriers than they had previously this season. It’s going to be an interesting game on Tuesday, and certainly tougher for Newcastle than Saturday’s cruise. Burnley will be well organised and are coming off their own big result against Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend. A high scoring draw, 2-2 for example, might be the best bet because both teams are coming in confident and will be looking to win. But yes, as Merson says, Newcastle’s front three have made a massive difference to the team.
