Newcastle United struggled in their last outing in the Premier League with Allan Saint-Maximin unavailable to play through injury – and may struggle to get the three points on offer this weekend.
This has been suggested by Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson, as he provided his predictions to Sportskeeda for the upcoming clash against Fulham.
Eddie Howe’s side go into their trip to Craven Cottage with a potentially long list of injuries following the international break, having had a number of players already suffering fitness problems going into the domestic hiatus.
One of those players was French winger Saint-Maximin, with the Toon trickster suffering a hamstring injury which has seen him miss three league games.
Ahead of their trip to the capital on the weekend, Merson has highlighted Saint-Maximin’s importance as he doubted Newcastle’s chances of seeing off Fulham without him, with the Frenchman’s availability as yet unknown:
Predicted a 1-1 draw, he said: “This is going to be a really good game. I watched Newcastle in their previous game, and I thought they struggled without Allan Saint-Maximin. I do like how Eddie Howe sets up his teams, however, and I think they’ll be difficult to beat this season.”
TIF Thoughts on Merson’s comments…
It would be no surprise if the Toon were to struggle in the absence of their Frenchman, with Saint-Maximin having proven to be such an important figure since arriving on Tyneside.
Would you rush ASM back for Saturday?
Yes
No
In his place during the last outing was Ryan Fraser – a player who has only completed 0.11 successful dribbles per 90 minutes in the last year, which is in stark contrast to Saint-Maximin’s 4.99 (via FBref).
And with just 1.42 shots per 90 in comparison to Saint-Maximin’s 2.18, it is hardly surprising that Howe’s men did lack an attacking spark against the Cherries.
Given Fulham have proven to be no pushovers this season and with injuries elsewhere for Howe to contend with, we think Saint-Maximin’s return would come as a big boost on Saturday.