Charlie Nicholas has predicted that Newcastle United will pick up a point when they face Wolves on Sunday afternoon.
The Sky Sports pundit has backed a 1-1 draw at St James’ Park and questioned how the Magpies are going to set up against their opponents, who struggle against the so-called weaker sides in the Premier League.
Nicholas believes that the Newcastle fans will want their side to go attacking and utilise Miguel Almiron and Joelinton more, rather than relying on the Longstaff brothers to create something from midfield once again.
The former Arsenal man claimed that Steve Bruce will need to be wary of Wolves, and admitted it could be a struggle if he gets his system wrong.
“Meanwhile, Newcastle have the stress and strain of whether they attack or counter-attack, which is more of what they are used to,” he wrote in his Sky Sports prediction column.
“Steve Bruce will know he has to be careful.
“Newcastle are better deployed sitting in and are better suited playing two up front but they cannot really do that, so it will be another struggle of a game.”
OPINION
Based on their opponents’ recent results, it is evident that Newcastle could benefit against Wolves at St James’ Park. The draw against Southampton after picking up all three points away at Manchester City would have brought them back down to life with a bang. Bruce must stick to his system that has delivered relative success against attacking teams, and stay compact which can allow his flair players such as Allan Saint-Maximin to get on the ball and push forward with pace. Wolves also had their Europa League tie away at Slovan Bratislava to deal with on Thursday and will have much less time to prepare for the fixture, something which could also give Bruce the upper hand going into the clash in the North East. Wolves took all three points from this fixture last season, and Newcastle will be keen to avenge that defeat and continue their recent resurgence with a win on Sunday.
