Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson has revealed his latest set of Premier League predictions for the upcoming fixtures this weekend, and he believes an out of form Newcastle United will be beaten by Watford at St James’ Park on Saturday.
The Magpies come into the clash having suffered three successive top flight defeats – the last of which came in a 4-1 reverse against Manchester United at Old Trafford last weekend – meaning they have lost six of their dozen league games this term.
However, four wins from the other six fixtures mean that they still lie 11th in the table, although manager Rafa Benitez may be a little concerned that they have only scored 11 goals.
Meanwhile, Watford ended their own run of three consecutive losses when they defeated West Ham United 2-0 at Vicarage Road last Sunday, with summer signing Richarlison continuing his impressive form with his fifth goal of the campaign.
However, the rumours regarding Marco Silva’s future refuse to go away amid strong links with the vacant Everton job, and it will be interesting to see how that situation develops over the course of the next week or so.
Merson certainly doesn’t think the uncertainty will have a bearing on Tyneside on Saturday though, and he is backing an away win.
The 49-year-old told Sky Sports: “I fancy Watford to win this. I watched Newcastle v Bournemouth the other week at St James’, Bournemouth had some really good chances in that game, and I think Watford are a better side than Bournemouth.
“I don’t really see much up front for Newcastle, and I’m not sure why Rafa Benitez doesn’t play Mitrovic more.”
Looking to get out of their mini-rut, Newcastle will certainly take some solace from the fact that three of their four victories this term have come at St James’ Park.
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