After incorrectly tipping Newcastle United to win last weekend, Chris Sutton thinks that the Magpies are going to bounce back against Leeds United.
Sutton thought Newcastle would beat Arsenal last Sunday, but it ended up being a fifth defeat of the season for Eddie Howe’s side.
It was a high level game against a Premier League title contender, but our next game will be different. We are facing a side at the opposite end of the table, with Leeds fighting for their lives.
It is set to be Sam Allardyce‘s first home match in charge, and he has three games to keep Leeds in the Premier League.
Newcastle are the next side to stand in their way, who need a result to get their Champions League bid back on track. It is a high stakes game, and one that Sutton believes the Magpies will come out on top in.
Chris Sutton thinks Newcastle will win against Leeds
In this week’s Premier League predictions for BBC Sport, Sutton has got Newcastle down for a 3-1 win against Leeds at Elland Road.
“I understand why Leeds can take heart from the scoreline in their 2-1 defeat at Manchester City last week, but the way the game went for the first 85 minutes or so was far less encouraging for Sam Allardyce’s side,” he said.
“After this game, Leeds have got West Ham away and Tottenham at home to end their season. At this point it is difficult to know how many points they will need to stay up, but they simply have to get something from this game.
“A win would probably lift them out of the bottom three and would be absolutely massive, but I just don’t see it happening.
“Newcastle are still looking to close out a top four finish, and the fact they lost last week probably makes Leeds’ task even harder. We know how Eddie Howe’s side play and I think we will see a response from them after that defeat by Arsenal.
“Yes, Elland Road will be raucous because of what is at stake for the home side but I don’t think Newcastle will be fazed by that, and their forward line will be too strong for the Leeds backline.
“Leeds will sit in and try to hit Newcastle on the counter – that’s the Allardyce way – but it didn’t work against City and it won’t work here, either.”
Newcastle must manage the ‘raucous’ Elland Road crowd
Sutton makes some excellent points about this weekend’s game, and ones that could work in Newcastle’s favour.
After last week’s disappointment against Arsenal, there will absolutely be a response from Howe’s side. We have done it time and time again this season, and Saturday will hopefully be no different.
Newcastle are not deterred by setbacks, and that could be bad news for Leeds, as Sutton says.
A big factor will be the crowd. The Elland Road faithful will be up for this one. The atmosphere inside that ground is normally incredible, but this should be at another level given what is at stake.
However, Newcastle have not been fazed by raucous crowds all season. We came across one at Goodison Park last month, and put Everton to the sword. In the final stages, there was barely a Toffees fan in sight.
Sutton is expecting Leeds to play on the counter, but is confident that it won’t work against Howe’s Newcastle side. Fingers crossed he is right, and we do to them what Manchester City did last week.
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