Chris Sutton makes ‘not ideal’ Anthony Gordon claim as he predicts Aston Villa vs Newcastle United

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Newcastle United have a ‘big problem’ ahead of their Premier League opener against Aston Villa.

That is according to former Premier League striker Chris Sutton, who is concerned about Alexander Isak’s unavailability.

Newcastle face Aston Villa on Saturday, but will be without the 25-year-old. Isak is refusing to play for the club, as he eyes a move to Liverpool.

His actions are leaving the Magpies light through the middle. While Yoane Wissa is close to signing, that deal will not be completed in time. Elsewhere, Will Osula is not going to be trusted to start in the Premier League.

The most likely solution will be Anthony Gordon playing as a striker, which is not offering Sutton any encouragement.

• READ MORE: Who is Anthony Gordon? Age, height, career, position, girlfriend

Chris Sutton says Aston Villa vs Newcastle United is ‘hard’ to call

As part of his Premier League predictions for BBC Sport, Sutton has addressed Newcastle’s striker situation ahead of facing Aston Villa.

He is unsure about Gordon starting as a striker, as he gives his verdict on who will win at Villa Park.

“Newcastle’s big problem is Alexander Isak, who surely won’t be involved while his future is being resolved,” he said.

“That means they are without one of the Premier League’s best strikers, and Anthony Gordon will probably play as a false nine, which is not ideal.

“Villa have their own issues and they must be struggling to comply with the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR) because there has been a lot of talk of Ollie Watkins leaving this summer – they have signed another striker, Evann Guessand, but they definitely need to keep hold of Watkins too.

“This is a hard one to call because, despite all the doom and gloom surrounding Newcastle, they are still a strong and exciting side.

“But Villa are at home and we know how dangerous they are under Unai Emery, so I am going to back them to edge this and pile on the misery for Newcastle.”

Sutton’s prediction: Aston Villa 2 Newcastle United 1

What Eddie Howe has said about Anthony Gordon playing as striker

Gordon is no stranger to playing as a striker for Newcastle United. He has done it multiple times during his Toon career when both Isak and Callum Wilson were unavailable.

It is also something that he has done in pre-season, with Gordon playing centrally against Tottenham Hotspur and Atletico Madrid.

Eddie Howe has no qualms about using the England international as his centre-forward. In fact, Howe spoke about Gordon being a striker during the Magpies’ pre-season preparations.

“He [Gordon] is one of the options and we wanted to look at him in that position against Tottenham,” Howe told the Chronicle. 

“He has played there before for us and played it well.

“He will play in his way, he is not Alex or Callum Wilson, he is slightly looser than both.

“He does not want to be a focal point back to goal player, he is not at his best doing that.

“We gave him a bit of freedom and he did really well in that floating role, he could have had a couple of goals and we are really pleased with him.”

Howe will have complete confidence in Gordon, who feels poised to have a strong season in black and white. The 2024/25 campaign was challenging, but he has looked incredibly sharp in pre-season.

That will delight Toon fans, who want to see Gordon back to the player he was during the 2023/24 season.