Michael Owen predicts winner in West Brom v Newcastle
Michael Owen expects his old side Newcastle to grind out a result in the clash with West Brom on Sunday.
The Baggies host Steve Bruce’s side having lost just once in their last four Premier League games. Newcastle are spiralling towards the relegation zone. They’ve picked up just one victory in their last five games.
Sam Allardyce’s side were unfortunate not to take points during the week against Everton. It was, however, another promising display from West Brom who have looked much better in recent weeks.
There are nine points between the two sides who are currently 17th and 19th in the league standings. Victory for Big Sam’s squad would be a huge boost for the remainder of the run-in.
Speaking on the BetVictor Blog, Owen believes it’ll be a scrappy game but backs his former club Newcastle to get a result. He said: “What a huge game this is at the bottom. An old-fashioned ‘six pointer’ awaits us and I’m expecting a cagey affair.
“If the Magpies lose this, they are in deep trouble. West Brom can probably approach it more relaxed, as they’ve been effectively doomed for weeks now.
“I think this could simply come down to who wants it more. For me, Newcastle have shown enough that if they play at their best, they should be winning this. So, I’ll be siding with my old club to grind out a vital win.”
Owen predicts a narrow 1-0 victory for Newcastle on Sunday.
Confidence is key
There is every reason to be confident of us picking up a result on Sunday. Newcastle are in turmoil at the moment, with the added stress of the dressing room spat.
Bruce appears to have a leak in the squad, with news of his clash with Matt Ritchie getting out to the press this week. Surely it cannot make for a happy atmosphere in the dressing room.
On the other hand, Big Sam is getting an excellent response from his players in recent weeks. The spirited performances against Manchester United and Burnley were duly rewarded with three points against Brighton.
At this point, it really doesn’t matter how you win games, so long as you do. The new additions to the side have given us a spark in recent weeks, in particular, Yokuslu anchoring the midfield.
Against Manchester United, the Turk was successful with 92% of his defensive duels [WyScout]. He’s everything Allardyce has been crying out for in the middle. As well as winning possession, Yokuslu is very useful with it.
He’s been successful with 100% of his attempted dribbles since playing in the Premier League, and has completed 89.1% of passes accurately. If we’re to turn our fortunes around, he will be crucial for the rest of the season.
In other West Brom news, Paul Merson has issued this big claim on our survival hopes.