Newcastle United will qualify for the Champions League if they beat Everton on Sunday.
The Magpies’ bid to return to the Champions League has come down to the final day of the season, with their fate still in their own hands.
While Manchester City have leapfrogged Newcastle in the table, the Magpies are still in control of their own destiny.
Victory over Everton at St James’ Park will guarantee them a top five finish, meaning they do not need to rely on other results. That will be the goal, with Eddie Howe hoping Alexander Isak will return from injury.
Newcastle United will go into the game as favourites. They have home advantage and something to play for, while the Toffees will remain in 13th no matter what happens on Sunday.
Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images
Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images
Newcastle United vs Everton prediction
Ahead of the game, Gary Neville, Roy Keane and Jamie Carragher are in agreement that Newcastle United will beat Everton.
They have predicted the score on the latest episode of the Stick To Football podcast on The Overlap YouTube channel, with Neville altering his prediction so he did not pick the same score as Keane.
Keane: “2-0 Newcastle.”
Neville: “Probably would have gone for that score. Three?”
MORE NEWCASTLE STORIES
Carragher: “Yeah. It will definitely be more than one.”
In the end, Neville and Carragher settled on Newcastle United 3 Everton 0.
Newcastle United’s injury concerns ahead of Everton
Alexander Isak missed Newcastle’s loss against Arsenal due to a groin problem. However, it is hoped that he will be passed fit to face Everton on Sunday.
Newcastle struggled without the 25-year-old at the Emirates Stadium, while it has been claimed that Isak could have surgery this summer.
He has been nursing a groin problem since February, but Howe will be eager for him to get through just one more game.
Elsewhere, Kieran Trippier remains injured. He has missed Newcastle’s previous two games, with his absence resulting in the Magpies shifting to a back five/three.
Newcastle’s other major casualty heading into the final game of the season is Joelinton. The Brazilian midfielder has a knee injury and has not featured since the defeat to Aston Villa.