Newcastle United are back in Premier League action with a good old-fashioned 3pm Saturday kick-off as Luton Town look to build on their impressive mid-week win.
The Hatters and The Magpies both had good wins in midweek and will be full of confidence coming into this clash, especially with Luton having very recently taken three points off Newcastle at Kenilworth Road.
That does of course mean Newcastle will be seeking vengeance on their home turf adding a bit of extra spice to the occasion.
On paper, this should be as one-sided as it gets, but we've underestimated Luton before and paid the price.
Paul Merson, however, has had no fear with his prediction for Sportskeeda and is expecting a big Newcastle win.
"Both teams are coming on the back of sensational midweek victories, so this is going to be an exciting game. Alexander Isak is injured for Newcastle, but they are formidable at home and will make their massive pitch count, so I think they will have too much for Luton.
"As far as the away side are concerned, this is not their cup final after their incredible 4-0 win against Brighton, so they will look to keep things tight away from home to try and get something. If Luton manage to stay up this season, it will be one of the greatest achievements in the Premier League in terms of a team avoiding relegation. They have the smallest ground in the top flight by a distance and have been down in non-league football not long ago, so it'll be quite something.
"Prediction: Newcastle United 3-1 Luton Town"
As Merson alluded to, Newcastle will be without Alexander Isak and we're not yet sure on Callum Wilson, which means Anthony Gordon could be deployed as a makeshift striker for this one, which did work well against Aston Villa on Tuesday night in fairness.
After Manchester United scraped a win last night, Newcastle could do with the three points to keep the pressure on and with Nottingham Forest to follow next week, there's a great chance to pick up nine points in three games.
The confidence is back. We've got this.
PL | GD | PTS | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Liverpool
|
7 | 11 | 18 |
2 |
Manchester City
|
7 | 9 | 17 |
3 |
Arsenal
|
7 | 9 | 17 |
4 |
Chelsea
|
7 | 8 | 14 |
5 |
Aston Villa
|
7 | 3 | 14 |
6 |
Brighton
|
7 | 3 | 12 |
7 |
Newcastle United
|
7 | 1 | 12 |
8 |
Fulham
|
7 | 2 | 11 |
9 |
Tottenham Hotspur
|
7 | 6 | 10 |
10 |
Nottingham Forest
|
7 | 1 | 10 |
11 |
Brentford
|
7 | 0 | 10 |
12 |
West Ham United
|
7 | -1 | 8 |
13 |
Bournemouth
|
7 | -2 | 8 |
14 |
Manchester United
|
7 | -3 | 8 |
15 |
Leicester
|
7 | -3 | 6 |
16 |
Everton
|
7 | -8 | 5 |
17 |
Ipswich
|
7 | -8 | 4 |
18 |
Crystal Palace
|
7 | -5 | 3 |
19 |
Southampton
|
7 | -11 | 1 |
20 |
Wolves
|
7 | -12 | 1 |