Paul Merson releases Newcastle prediction as Man City arrive on Tyneside

When I sat down to read Paul Merson's score prediction this week, I was fully expecting the Sky Sports pundit to back Pep Guardiola's Man City to pick up all three points.

Newcastle United come into this game after two truly awful displays in the Premier League away to Brentford and West Ham, while Man City looked back to their best before the break, following a 4-1 win over Borussia Dortmund with a 3-0 demolition job on Liverpool.

Newcastle have only beaten Man City nine times in 51 meetings, with Eddie Howe only beating a Guardiola side ONCE in his career, but Merson thinks we'll make life difficult and pick up a point.

In his latest Sportskeeda column, Merson had this to say as he previewed the game, discussed Erling Haaland and Newcastle's Nick Woltemade:

"If Manchester City win this game, I will be thinking that should they keep all their main players fit, they can challenge Arsenal. Newcastle have not been at their best on home turf so far this season, but it is still one of the toughest fixtures in the league. If Eddie Howe's team can play like they did against Liverpool, they have a chance at winning this game! 

"Erling Haaland has been scoring goals for fun. But will that help him win the Ballon d'Or? The answer is no. No matter how many goals you score, it always comes down to your performance in the Champions League and City must win that trophy to give Haaland a strong chance to win the award.

"Nick Woltemade has also impressed me so far. I always wonder when players come to the Premier League, 'if they were so good, why didn't Bayern Munich want them?'. That is not the case with Woltemade. He's showing why Bayern really wanted him to be their number nine.

"Woltemade reminds me of Peter Crouch. He is not just a target man, he can play with the ball and likes it being fed into his feet. Woltemade will cause problems to other teams every single week. If Newcastle's midfield three can fire like last season, it will be perfect for him.

"Newcastle away is a tricky fixture right after the international break and that's why I think City will drop points in this one."

Merson's prediction: Newcastle 1-1 Man City

Newcastle have a mixed home record against City, drawing two, losing one and winning one of our last four meetings at St James' Park.

We've struggled against 'big six' sides at home in the league, losing narrowly to Arsenal (2-1) and Liverpool (3-2), but are on a run of five straight wins on Tyneside in all competitions, seeing off Athletic Bilbao, Spurs, Fulham, Benfica and Nottingham Forest, conceding just once in the process.

A tough test awaits tonight, but let's hope we can rise to the challenge and prove Merson right, with a point something most Mags would bite your hand off for based on recent league results.