‘I just feel’: Gary Neville makes fresh Newcastle top four prediction

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Newcastle United are still in the race to qualify for the Champions League, but Gary Neville expects the Magpies to fall short.

Eddie Howe’s side are currently fourth in the Premier League table after 21 games, winning 40 points. Newcastle have only lost once all season, and are firmly in the mix to finish in the top four.

Our bid to return to Europe’s elite competition did take a hit at the weekend. Newcastle dropped points to West Ham, while Manchester United jumped above us into third. More worryingly, Tottenham were able to close the gap to a point by beating Manchester City.

It is incredibly tight in the race to qualify for the Champions League, and the fact that Newcastle are even in contention is a huge shock.

It would be a sensational achievement if Howe got Newcastle to a top four finish in his first full season in charge, but Neville thinks they will just miss out.

Gary Neville thinks Newcastle will ‘fall away’ in top four race

The former Manchester United defender has been speaking about Newcastle’s bid to finish in the top four on the latest edition of The Overlap. He explained why he thinks they will fail to qualify for the Champions League this season.

“I just feel like Newcastle are at absolutely full pelt, 100 miles an hour, they can’t run any faster than they are actually doing,” he said.

“I think they are hanging on. And I just don’t think that they will be able to do that as the season goes on. I don’t think they will finish in the top four.

“I hope they do. It would be unbelievable if they did, but I don’t think they will Newcastle. I think they’ll fall away.”

Pressure on Newcastle squad

There has been a sense in recent weeks that Newcastle are tiring. Limited options and a potential loss of momentum have stopped Howe from rotating.

However, it is something he will have to do as the season goes on. That is why a lot of fans were concerned when the club failed to sign a midfielder during the January transfer window.

Luckily, Howe does now have more options in attack. Anthony Gordon has arrived, while Allan Saint-Maximin and Alexander Isak are back from long-term injuries. That is a huge boot, and will give Newcastle a bit more variety in attack, which is something we have lacked as of late.

Neville thinks Newcastle are hanging on, but that seems like a bit of a stretch. We are just as solid as we have been all season, and have held our own against every side.

The Sky Sports pundit believes that the Magpies will eventually drop out of the race for the top four, but hopes that he is wrong. We hope you are wrong too, Gary!