Portsmouth vs Newcastle

Goals from Michael Owen, Obafemi Martins and Danny Guthie gave Newcastle a great 3-0 win away at Pompey. Happily for us, that was the result Tom Allen predicted

Good stuff to look forward to in the Premier League this weekend, Manchester United’s trip to Spurs on Saturday evening being the highlight, and the best bet comes on Sunday in the early televised fixture. Newcastle make the long journey south to Fratton Park to take on Portsmouth and I think Joe Kinnear’s side can return with at least a point.

I freely admit to counting my money last Saturday afternoon when Newcastle held a two goal lead against Stoke but a late comeback from The Potters earned them a share of the spoils and the confident pick of the hosts eventually proved wide of the mark. Newcastle did more than enough in the match to have won it twice over however and will surely be buoyed by their decent recent run of results.

The biggest plus for Magpies fans is, of course, the return to form and fitness of Michael Owen and he is sure to fancy it on Sunday up against the creaking legs of Sol Campbell and Sylvain Distin. The England striker looked very sharp on the weekend when scoring both of his side’s goals in the 2-2 draw and his partnership with Obafemi Martins is one that can flourish.

Newcastle are yet to secure three points on their travels this term but they have picked up valuable points at Stamford Bridge and the Riverside in their past two away fixtures, it’s four consecutive draws in the top flight, and we mustn’t forget they managed to grab a share of the spoils at the Theatre of Dreams on opening weekend too. They have certainly become hard to beat, but also carry a goal threat.

Portsmouth started the season in fine style but although they remain in seventh position it is just two wins 12 matches in all competitions, both against teams currently in the bottom three, and I’m not sure they are playing that well. Tony Adams fails to convince me he has what it takes to be a top flight manager and they are conceding goals much more frequently than last season.

While Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe are a strike partnership of the highest calibre, Pompey lack a driving force from midfield this term, Sulley Muntari was a big loss to Inter Milan in the summer, and I am more than happy to take them on at a little bit bigger than even money. I see the visitors scoring, at least once, and it could just be enough to claim a surprise win.