Paul Merson and Chris Sutton boldly disagree over Newcastle United v Everton prediction

Former Premier League stars Chris Sutton and Paul Merson have both praised Newcastle United’s current form - but have disagreed over their chances of boosting their top four push with a win at Everton on Thursday.

The Magpies will head into their trip to Merseyside sat in third place in the Premier League table after they romped to a 6-1 home win against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday afternoon. By contrast, their hosts are struggling to escape to relegation zone after winning just one of their last nine games, with their last win coming in mid-February when Seamus Coleman grabbed the only goal of their home game against fellow strugglers Leeds United.

Former Blackburn Rovers striker Sutton believes Sean Dyche’s side are showing signs of the style he implemented during his time at Burnley - but believes Newcastle will ‘frighten the life out of them’ and claim all three points.

Writing in his BBC Sport predictions column, he said: “Everton reminded me of Sean Dyche’s old Burnley side when I watched them against Crystal Palace at the weekend. Dominic Calvert-Lewin came into the team and they were very direct, with balls into him and then trying to find runners off that.

“They were also hoping for Alex Iwobi and Demarai Grey to spark something with some individual brilliance but it didn’t really happen, and you could really see why the Toffees are the lowest scorers in the Premier League this season. This is the last game they need after dropping into the bottom three. Everton don’t carry enough of a threat and then you are left asking whether they can keep an in-form Newcastle side out.

“I don’t think they can, and being at home won’t make any difference, because the Magpies will frighten the life out of them.”

However, former Arsenal star Merson believes Everton’s desperation to remain in the Premier League can help them take advantage of Newcastle’s need to come through their Goodison Park test, even if it means just taking a point.

Writing for SportsKeeda, he said: “Newcastle are virtually in the Champions League now, and they might take their eyes off their campaign. They’ve got to make sure they don’t lose too many games, and that could work in Everton’s favour. Everton are a hard team to beat and they play a certain way. They need to get out of the bottom three as soon as possible, by either points or goal difference. They need to nick a few draws here and there, and I think they can pull it off this week.”