Paul Merson has given his verdict on what will happen in Newcastle United’s Premier League clash with Wolves on Sunday.
The Magpies are back in action after the international break, and head to Molineux to face a Wolves side that failed to win any of their opening three Premier League games.
As for Newcastle United, they are putting their undefeated start to the campaign on the line. However, Eddie Howe will be hoping for a better performance after some underwhelming displays.
Fabian Schar looks likely to return to the Newcastle team after the conclusion of his suspension, while Eddie Howe has a big decision to make regarding Sandro Tonali and whether he starts against Wolves.
The Newcastle United manager has plenty of options to choose from, and that should hopefully result in a better performance.
Paul Merson predicts the score of Wolves vs Newcastle
But the most important thing is the result, and Newcastle will be hoping to pick up three points in the Premier League at Molineux for the first time since 2011.
The Magpies have struggled in the West Midlands, but pundit Paul Merson has told Sportskeeda that their bad luck at that stadium could be about to come to an end.
“Wolves are in serious trouble,” he wrote.
“They could end up being the team that loses ground quickly with other teams in the battle to avoid relegation. This is a big game for them.
“I actually thought Newcastle were a bit fortunate in their win over Tottenham before the international break. Spurs were definitely better in that game. I’ve still got to give credit to Newcastle as well though, let’s not take that away from them.
“If Wolves get a win, it would be massive but I just don’t see that happening.
“Newcastle will still fall short of qualifying for the Champions League in my opinion. I think they’ve got more points than they probably should have so far this season. There are five teams fighting for that fourth spot – Aston Villa, Tottenham, Manchester United, Chelsea and Newcastle. They are definitely in that race, but I fill they will fall a bit short in the end.”
Merson’s prediction: Wolves 1 Newcastle 2
Hard to disagree with Merson after Newcastle’s poor transfer window
Merson believes that Newcastle United are well placed to take advantage of Wolves’ disappointing start to the season. It is easy to see why Merson believes they could be in trouble, as they have lost two hugely important players in Pedro Neto and Max Kilman.
But while the former Arsenal forward thinks that Newcastle will beat Wolves on Sunday, he does not anticipate that Eddie Howe’s side will qualify for the Champions League.
Given what happened over the summer, that is understandable. The Magpies needed to strengthen their squad with a couple of marquee arrivals, but Howe was let down in the transfer window.
Paul Mitchell failed to agree a deal for Marc Guehi, while a late pursuit of Anthony Elanga reeked of desperation.
The lack of reinforcements is going to make it very difficult for Newcastle to finish in the top four, but it is not beyond the realms of possibility. There is certainly a chance that the Magpies qualify for the Champions League, but Howe’s task is much harder due to a wildly disappointing summer transfer window.
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