Newcastle United will host Wolverhampton at St. James’ Park tomorrow in what is being labeled as a must-win match for the home side.
As a result of only scoring five times in their first nine matches, Newcastle United find themselves among the bottom three (18th) with eight points. Fortunately, it is still early in the season and the difference between 18th and 7th in the standings is a mere four points. This being the case, it is quite obvious that Newcastle United need to win on Sunday to avoid a steeper climb out of the relegation zone.
Wolverhampton are coming to St. James’ Park with some confidence after claiming a precious Europa League group stage victory against Slovan Bratislava in Slovakia on Thursday. In terms of their Premier League record, Wolverhampton have taken points from seven of their first nine matches, but five of those matches resulted in draws. So, Sunday’s visitors are coming into this match with the aim of taking three points to develop some consistency. Simply claiming one draw after another will get points on the board, but it will also keep Wolverhampton in a relegation battle.
Raul Jimenez is in fine form for Wolverhampton with three goals and two assists to his name so far this season. The Mexican international is capable of causing major problems for the Magpies’ back-line on Sunday, especially with Fabian Schar being ruled out because of a knee injury.
📺 Steve Bruce's pre-@Wolves media briefing is available to watch in full, for free, on NUFC TV (no login required). https://t.co/pnIOTTQ0sF #NUFC pic.twitter.com/KLZIXmAWyn
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) October 25, 2019
The key player to keep an eye on for Newcastle United is Allan Saint-Maximin. His pace and superior technical abilities have been on display in recent weeks and the praise he is receiving from fans and pundits is only feeding his confidence. He created multiple chances against Manchester United and Chelsea, but Sunday’s match presents him with an even better opportunity to capitalize on some of the chances he will create.
Overall, both sets of supporters should expect a close match that will be wide open in midfield. It is unlikely for this match to end 1-0 in either direction. The winner of this battle will need to score at least twice in order to claim all three points.
Predictions in the Media
Most pundits from mainstream media outlets think this will be a close match that will come down to the level of urgency displayed by Newcastle United and how tired and focused Wolverhampton will be after playing in Slovakia on Thursday. See some of their predictions below:
Mark Lawrenson (BBC): Newcastle United 2-1 Wolverhampton
Charlie Nicholas (Sky Sports): Newcastle United 1-1 Wolverhampton
Newcastle Toons Predictions
Today marks a rare occasion where both Carson and I are optimistic. We both expect a competitive match that most likely will not be decided until late in the second half, however, we are both predicting the Magpies to take all three points on Sunday. If the Toon lose you can blame us for jinxing the result.
Carson Merk: Newcastle United 2-1 Wolverhampton
Durim Halimi: Newcastle United 2-0 Wolverhampton