Match of the Day commentator Jonathan Pearce has believes that a renewed sense of hope on Tyneside will not be enough for them to get a result against Tottenham on Saturday lunchtime.
The Magpies pulled off an unlikely upset with a 2-1 win over defending champions Manchester City in midweek, and completed the record signing of Miguel Almiron from Atlanta United on deadline day.
Speaking to BBC Sport, however, Pearce still questioned whether it would be enough for the Toon Army to get anything out of their trip to Wembley.
He said: “Newcastle’s shock win over Manchester City and the big-money signing of Miguel Almiron have renewed Tyneside hopes of staying up. The Paraguayan was brilliant in Lanus’ unlikely Argentine title win in 2016.
“But this is tough. They’ve lost seven successive games at Wembley since the 1955 FA Cup final. I can’t see that trend changing.”
OPINION
This game may not be as cut and dry as it would have been a couple of months ago. Spurs have been hampered by injuries and have endured a patchy run of form to say the least, while Newcastle did pull off that remarkable late win against City in midweek. The signing of Almiron will not only boost the side, but will give the travelling supporters a lift, and might just reinvigorate a team that have threatened to break away from the relegation battle on numerous occasions. The reality is that Spurs are still string favourites for this one, but all things considered, it could be a lot tighter than most of us would ordinarily expect it to be. That being said, this is Newcastle, and there has been a worrying tendency this season to take one step forward and then two straight back. Rafa Benitez will be hoping that his side can maintain some semblance of momentum, but this will be a huge ask of them.
