'I don't see': Chris Sutton gives his score prediction as Newcastle United take on Ipswich Town on Saturday

Newcastle United face a troubled Ipswich Town on Saturday at 3pm at St James' Park.

Kieran McKenna is missing 10 first-team players heading into this crunch fixture with Newcastle, where anything less than an Ipswich win will send them back to the Championship at the first time of asking.

It's hard to see anything other than a Newcastle win here, and for many people, it just feels like a case of how many Newcastle will score.

However, football is a funny old game, and nothing is guaranteed, so we'll have to wait and see how it pans out.

Chris Sutton has made his prediction for the BBC and it seems that he's in full agreement with Paul Merson's score prediction.

"It's great news that Newcastle boss Eddie Howe will be back in the dug-out for this game after his stay in hospital.

"I don't see his side having any trouble securing the three points here, based on what I saw from Ipswich against Arsenal last week. That was game just wasn't a contest, even before Leif Davis was sent off.

"There is a lot at stake for the Magpies in the race for Champions League qualification, while it is just a matter of time until Ipswich's relegation is confirmed.

"We might see some anger in Newcastle's performance after their heavy defeat by Aston Villa but, ultimately, this should be a comfortable win for them.

"Sutton's prediction: 3-0"

We're not giving up on overtaking Arsenal

Newcastle have five games remaining, and it's quite a tricky run-in, so getting a good start against Ipswich on Saturday will be massive for the Magpies.

Three of the four other clubs chasing the Champions League spots have the FA Cup to worry about still, and that could be enough of a distraction to allow Newcastle a clear run.

In fact, even Arsenal have the Champions League semi-final to think about, so it's still not beyond the realms of possibility that Newcastle could catch them, especially given that we still have them to play - could we make it four wins over Mikel Arteta in one season which results in us finishing above them in the league? How sweet would that be?