There weren’t many shirtless Newcastle fans exposing their humongous beer bellies at the Hotspur Stadium on Sunday. Was that a chilling portent of doom like when howl, blood seeps from walls and birds fly south in mass numbers as clouds gather?
It certainly could have been as the Magpies were , who could have won by far more than the 4-1 scoreline at the end of another thrilling match involving Ange Postecoglu’s entertainers.
Much has been made of Newcastle running on fumes and they certainly looked on their last legs at the final whistle after being torn to shreds.
Magpies boss must now dig deep into his managerial box of tricks to summon an almighty performance out of his side when they face AC Milan on Tyneside in their final Champions League group match.
They must beat the Serie A club and pray that Paris Saint-Germain do not win at Borussia Dortmund, who may take their foot off the accelerator as they have already qualified.
The ray of hope there is Dortmund must take at least a point to top the group and avoid one of Europe’s giants in Monday’s draw for the knockout stages.
The trouble for Newcastle is Milan can also qualify for the post-Christmas fun if they win and PSG lose as the Group of Death comes down to the wire.
If they are eliminated the Magpies will justifiably gripe about the which awarded PSG a late penalty converted by Kylian Mbappe to snatch two precious points away from the Toon Army last time out.
But they can’t afford to let that fester away at the back of their minds, just as they must be mentally strong and forget about any lingering aches, pains, knocks, soreness and general tiredness.
Alexander Isak looked lacklustre on Sunday but he will undoubtedly be lifted by the passionate atmosphere at St James’ Park and can fire the Magpies in front at Sky Bet’s 9/2.
The Sweden international is 6/4 with the same firm to score at any time and Anthony Gordon, who is enjoying a superb season, is 16/5 with BetUK and Unibet to also get his name on the scoresheet.
Newcastle are 10/11 with Sky Bet to win, then it’s down to saying prayers for Dortmund get at least a draw in Germany.
• All the final placings have been settled in Group G so expect Pep Guardiola to give a run-out to as many of his fringe players as possible, with Manchester City having already won the pool by a country mile. The European champions haven’t been as dominant as usual in recent weeks, and losing Erling Haaland to injury is a big concern. Crvena Zvezda, or Red Star Belgrade in old money, are worth a small investment to win with a two-goal start at 4/5 with bet365 and Coral.
• Non-league Aldershot walloped Swindon in the FA Cup first round proper, then held Stockport to a draw at the Recreation Ground. Can they cause another upset? The short answer is no. The Shots will find it tough going at Edgeley Park and the League Two leaders are 21/20 with Coral to lead HT/FT and book a third-round jolly to West Brom. Stockport are 11/5 with bet365 to win by more than two goals.
