Gabby Agbonlahor has delivered a warning to Newcastle United ahead of their game against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The Magpies are looking for a response after their midweek Champions League defeat, as they prepare to head to Wolves for the Premier League’s Saturday evening kickoff.
It is going to be a tough game for Eddie Howe’s side, who are struggling with injuries heading into the fixture. Alexander Isak, Sven Botman, Jacob Murphy and Elliot Anderson all look set to miss out. However, there is hope that Sandro Tonali can be involved despite his imminent ban.
Newcastle have a bit of a depleted squad for the game at Molineux, as they prepare to take on a Wolves side that have quietly impressed this season. Gary O’Neil has done a brilliant job in such a short space of time, and will have confidence that his side can get a result against the Magpies.
In contrast, Eddie Howe knows that if his Newcastle team play to their best then they can beat anyone in the Premier League. But will they play to their best against Wolves? Agbonlahor believes they will.
Agbonlahor thinks Newcastle will beat Wolves
Speaking on TalkSPORT, Agbonlahor has backed Newcastle to win 2-1 against Wolves. However, he has hinted that the Magpies could be in trouble if they are not ‘bang at it’ on Saturday evening.
“Tricky game for Newcastle,” he said.
“Wolves have shown – maybe they’re not winning as many games as they should be – but they have shown a lot of fight. Against Villa they showed fight, against Man City, winning at home, they showed fight.
“So this is a game where, if Newcastle aren’t bang at it, they could get turned over.
“But with the class that Newcastle have got, players in form like Wilson, Isak, Gordon, Guimaraes, I think they’ll have a bit too much for Wolves.
“So I’m going to 2-1 to Newcastle.”
Tough game for Newcastle after Champions League exploits
Newcastle have looked alright in their games after the Champions League so far, but this will be their first after a European loss.
Howe needs a response, and he needs to get it at a tough ground in Molineux. Wolves have proven that they are capable of something special at home this season, having beaten Manchester City back in September.
On top of that, Newcastle have not actually won a Premier League game at Molineux since October 2011. Alan Pardew was the manager back then, with Demba Ba and Jonas Gutierrez finding the net in a 2-1 win for the Magpies.
Agbonlahor thinks Newcastle will pick up an identical result 12 years later, and hopefully he is right.
Receive a digest of our best Newcastle content each week direct to your mailbox
