Stuart Pearce has ‘stuck his neck out’ with a bold title prediction as he backed to beat the likes of Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United to the crown.
Man City, who are attempting to win a fourth successive league title, but .
Pearce believes De Bruyne’s injury – the Belgian could be out for up to four months – will impact on Erling Haaland’s season and stop Manchester City from winning yet another league title.
Arsenal and Man United are among the teams who are hoping to pounce on any drop-off from Man City but Pearce believes Newcastle also have what it takes to win the English top-flight for the first time in almost 100 years.
Newcastle have transformed from relegation-battlers to top-four contenders sincea Saudi Arabian-backed takeover in 2021, finishing fourth last season and thumping Aston Villa 5-1 on the opening weekend of the 2023-24 campaign.
‘To be honest with you, I think Newcastle win the league this year. I’m going to stick my neck out,’ ex-England defender Pearce told .
‘With the recruitment they’ve done, how they’ve sort of gone in, how things are at Newcastle… I’ve been up there a couple of times last year and the place is absolutely rocking.
‘I think, if they keep everyone fit and have a good run of it they could win the Premier League. And I think this game on Saturday evening could be an indicator of whether they have got credentials.
‘To be fair, I think with Manchester City losing Kevin de Bruyne for a length of time, I think that will impact directly on Erling Haaland as well.
‘I think that will hurt them a lot, so that’s why I’m looking at Newcastle.’
Newcastle will put their title credentials to the test on Saturday night when they face Premier League champions Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
Last season’s runners-up Arsenal also made a winning start to the new season with a 2-1 victory over Nottingham Forest, while Man United clinched a fortuitous win over Wolves.
Liverpool and Chelsea, two teams hoping to climb up the table after flattering to deceive to different extents last term, played out a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge.
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