Paul Merson has predicted Newcastle United to defeat Crystal Palace 2-1 when the Premier League sides clash at St James Park on Saturday,
The Sky Sports pundit shared he was backing the Magpies due to them playing at home, but expressed his disappointment over both side’s latest displays.
Merson pointed out he thought the Magpies were poor in their 2-0 defeat to Arsenal on Monday as they’re better than that and shared he thought Crystal Palace didn’t put up much of a fight against Tottenham in midweek.
“Newcastle had a load of fans come down to Arsenal on Monday and you were thinking ‘why don’t you have a go?” wrote Merson in his Sky Sports prediction.
“I thought it was poor. They are better than that and have the ammunition to hurt teams.
“But I am disappointed with Palace. Out of all the teams at the bottom they are the disappointment because they should not be where they are.
“How do you go to Manchester City and win 3-2, when nobody beats City at home, and then be where you are in the league and go to Tottenham and get rinsed in midweek? It wasn’t even really a game.
“I think Newcastle win with home advantage, but both these teams should be safe because Cardiff won’t get enough points.”
OPINION
It’s hard to disagree with Merson’s assessment that Rafa Benitez’s side let themselves down against Arsenal as they didn’t give supporters much to cheer. The likes of Miguel Almiron and Matt Ritchie showed glimpses of their talents, but that was about it. The Gunners dominated possession and cruised to a comfortable victory as a result. Benitez will be looking for a reaction from his Magpies team against Palace, as you feel they’re more capable of winning that clash. However Merson is right to suggest Palace’s position in the table, 14th, perhaps isn’t a true reflection of their ability and if they were a bit more consistent they’d be sitting higher in the league. Palace were at their best against Man City and if they perform to the max of their ability then they could cause the Magpies damage on Saturday. However there is no guarantee the best version of them will turn up and Magpies fans should be crossing their fingers this ends up being the case.
