Watford will serve as the biggest test for Newcastle United since playing Manchester United on October 6th.
After only earning one point from a possible six against Brighton and Southampton over the last two weeks, Newcastle United are now preparing for the daunting task of claiming a victory over a talented Watford side. This weekend’s visitors will be full of confidence when they arrive at St. James’ Park as they sit among the top seven with 19 points.
For neutral fans of the Premier League, Watford has been one of the most pleasant surprises of the season as they have already claimed six victories in ten matches and they will look for win number seven against a struggling Newcastle. It is also worth mentioning that Watford claimed the double over Newcastle last season.
There are several reasons for Rafa Benitez and the Toon Army to worry ahead of this clash with Watford. Newcastle are rightfully being labeled as the underdog on Saturday and the consolidation of collective effort and a bit of luck will be needed to earn three points on Saturday.
Reason One: No Goals vs. Mediocre Opponents
The first sign of concern ahead of this match is the fact that Newcastle have failed to score a single goal against teams outside of the top six. Newcastle managed to score a goal against each of the elite clubs in the league, but the scoring woes kick in when they play teams they are capable of defeating.
Watford is not your typical top seven side, but history is irrelevant at this point. What is important is the fact that Watford are playing impressive football at the moment. Newcastle will need Salomon Rondon and Yoshinori Muto to step up their game and score some much-needed goals.
Reason Two: Poor Home Record
One of the most obvious problems for Newcastle this season has been their poor record at home. For the first time ever, the Magpies have lost their first five matches at St. James’ Park and the quality of Watford’s roster makes a sixth consecutive home loss highly probable. Newcastle need to be motivated at home and this should not be an issue with 52,000 vocal fans supporting the team for 90 minutes.
Reason Three: Inconsistent Performances
The most frustrating thing about watching Newcastle play this season is their inconsistency. There have been times when Newcastle looked like they belong in the top ten and then there are matches where they look like a team destined for relegation. Consistency is the key to Top Flight survival and Newcastle’s supporters can only hope that the team emulates their performances against Tottenham, Manchester United and Brighton against Watford on Saturday.