Michael Owen believes there’ll be few goals and few chances created ahead of Brighton’s visit to St James’ Park this weekend, expecting a ‘tight, tense, close affair’.
The former NUFC striker – who’s taken a rare break from discussing Alan Shearer during his weekly prediction piece – feels Steve Bruce will have taken ‘several positives’ from last weekend’s 3-1 defeat at Anfield, but his comments about this one are uninspiring at best.
Here’s what he’s had to say ahead of the game, hinting at a stalemate between two of the league’s low scoring sides:
“Newcastle were eventually well beaten at Anfield on Saturday, but Steve Bruce will have taken several positives from the game although they continue to struggle to create opportunities.
“I don’t expect to see many goals or chances when Brighton – who have only scored twice in the league since the opening day of the season – visit St James’ Park in what is likely to be a tight, tense, close affair.“
Brighton started the season in stunning fashion with a 3-0 win away at Watford on the opening day, but as Owen says, they’ve scored just two league goals in the 4 games that have followed. That said, we’re yet to score more than one goal in a game so far this season, so this really is a battle between two low scoring teams struggling for goals.
They seem to be playing some decent football under Graham Potter, however we should be fancying our chances at home against a relegation rival who’ve picked up just two points over the last month.
Owen is backing this one to be a low scoring and tight affair, which won’t help anyone’s nerves ahead of Saturday’s crucial game, but we’d take that every day of the week if it resulted in a narrow 1-0 win!
Personally, I see there being a few goals. Brighton’s goals have dried up of late and we’ve been anything but free scoring, but Brighton play slightly more expansive and attacking style of football under Potter so may leave gaps at the other end.
It’s a early season six-pointer that will define our start to the new season under Bruce, so let’s hope we come out on top – especially when you look at the fixtures we’re faced with in the four that follow (Leicester, Man Utd, Chelsea, Wolves).
Who the xxxx wants to know what that LITTLE greedy dwarf thinks
simma(Quote)