Everton fans to scoff as Paul Merson makes new season prediction ahead of Newcastle<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Paul Merson Casts Doubt on Everton\u2019s European Hopes Ahead of Newcastle Clash<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Paul Merson has questioned Everton\u2019s chances of securing European football this season ahead of their trip to St James\u2019 Park. The former Arsenal star shared his thoughts in his weekly Sportskeeda column.<\/p>\n\n\n\n David Moyes\u2019 side aim to maintain their strong away form and recover from Monday\u2019s disappointing defeat to Manchester United at Hill Dickinson. <\/p>\n\n\n\n With the Toffees currently eight points off fifth place, European qualification remains technically possible\u2014but Merson isn\u2019t confident about their prospects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Saturday\u2019s opponents, Newcastle, sit not far behind, making this fixture crucial for both teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Merson\u2019s Take on Everton vs Newcastle<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Merson isn\u2019t optimistic about Everton\u2019s chances against Newcastle or their broader goal of qualifying for Europe this season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Supporters, who have grown excited about the Blues competing in Europe for the first time since 2017-18, may find his assessment disheartening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe race for Europe has given Everton fans a welcome boost after years of relegation battles, but both Newcastle and Everton are stuck in mid-table positions,\u201d Merson wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAt this rate, I don\u2019t expect either of them to qualify for European football next season.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He further predicts a 2-1 win for Newcastle, citing their home advantage, although his viewpoint may not fully align with the numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Why Merson\u2019s Prediction May Be Off<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Everton are among the toughest sides to beat on the road, making Newcastle\u2019s home advantage less significant than suggested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since Moyes\u2019 return, the Toffees have amassed the second-most away points in the Premier League, with 38, and have only lost once away to a team currently below them in the table\u2014Leeds United in the opening match of the season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In contrast, Everton\u2019s home form has been less impressive, so an away fixture could actually play to their strengths. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally, they are one of only two teams to concede fewer than a goal per away game in that period (18 in 22), alongside Arsenal (18 in 23).<\/p>\n\n\n\n All signs point to Everton having an edge Merson may have overlooked. If the Blues secure all three points in Tyneside, they remain very much in the race for European qualification, contrary to Merson\u2019s early dismissal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Everton fans to scoff as Paul Merson makes new season prediction ahead of Newcastle\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4077,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[26,513,285],"class_list":{"0":"post-4078","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-everton","9":"tag-newcastle-united","10":"tag-paul-merson"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/legitsportnews.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/2-Insets-2026-02-26T163119.560-1140x641-1.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/legitsportnews.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4078","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/legitsportnews.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/legitsportnews.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legitsportnews.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legitsportnews.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4078"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/legitsportnews.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4078\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legitsportnews.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4077"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/legitsportnews.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4078"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legitsportnews.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4078"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legitsportnews.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4078"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}