Ian Wright and Roy Keane have now predicted who they think will win in this weekend’s game between Newcastle United and Luton.
Both teams are coming off the back of disappointing results and will be desperate to get a win for two different reasons, but ultimately to stay in touch with their respective competition.
On this week’s episode of Stick to Football, the pair found it tough to predict the score given Luton’s lack of quality and Newcastle’s poor away form in the Premier League.
Keane and Wright think Newcastle will struggle at Luton
After winning their third away game of the season 8-0 against Sheffield United, Newcastle have now gone six games without a win away from St James’ Park, a record that is certainly not good enough for a team in the hunt for Champions League football.
Luton, while they may not have a lot of quality players in their team, are exactly the kind of team that Newcastle struggle against, so it is a difficult one to try and predict.
What the Hatters have been very effective at doing is hitting teams on the counter attack which has helped them to score goals against Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool at home.
Newcastle, on the other hand, have struggled to break down teams who use a low block, so it will be an interesting matchup on Saturday.
On the show, Keane said: “Small ground, they are doing well. It’s a hard one isn’t it? Newcastle away from home have been poor. They will be low. I think they have a bit of fight and spirit Newcastle, I’ll give them that. A draw? 1-1 or 2-2?”
Wright responded: “2-2.”
Newcastle have to win this game
It’s not the end of the world if Newcastle don’t beat Luton, but given their recent form and the games that they have coming up, it would put them in a very difficult position heading into the new year.
After their trip to Kenilworth road, Newcastle will face Nottingham Forest, Liverpool, Sunderland in the FA Cup, then Manchester City and Aston Villa. So, it’s not exactly the easiest of run.
Having lost four of their last five games across all competitions, Newcastle could really do with a win to boost the team’s morale and put another three points on the board so they don’t start to slip away from the top four positions.
Receive a digest of our best Newcastle content each week direct to your mailbox
