Stuart Pearce makes shock Premier League title prediction: Newcastle United to beat Man City
Former England defender Stuart Pearce has made a bold prediction for the 2023-24 Premier League season, backing Newcastle United to beat the likes of Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United to the title.
Man City, who are attempting to win a fourth successive league title, brushed aside promoted Burnley in their Premier League opener but lost influential midfielder Kevin de Bruyne in the process.
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.
Newcastle United’s Transformation
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 since a 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 talkSPORT.
‘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.’
Newcastle Put Their Title Credentials to the Test
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.
Conclusion
Pearce’s prediction may seem bold but Newcastle have certainly shown they have what it takes to compete with the best teams in the league. With De Bruyne’s injury likely to impact Man City’s performance this season, it’s not impossible that Newcastle could pull off a shock title win. We’ll have to wait and see how things play out over the course of the season.