Return leg Europa QF predictions folks?

Right, I'm gonna stick my neck out and say next week's result will be 2-1. Join me as I detail how this will unfold, sort of a preemptive match report if you will...

Newcastle get an early-ish goal from a Cabaye free kick [11 mins] and then almost apologetically grab another (it's from a corner! Saylor header) just after half time [58 mins].

Unbelievably, soonish after Cisse shanks in a third (off the post ironically), but the perfectly good goal is ruled offside by corrupt UEFA officials [72 mins].

With us riding on a mixture of defensive luck, frantic desperation and Tim Krul's gloves for most of the game, Benfica snatch a goal in stoppage time when under no discernible pressure Santon miss-kicks a clearance up into his own face whilst simultaneously sneezing.

The resultant headed OG is the absolute peach of a finish they've struggled to muster all evening and sends all 12 Portuguese fans into sickening rapture... [91 mins]

While I, like some sort of Geordie Morrissey, slump back here to wax lyrical over the tragic poetry of supporting NUFC [all the remaining night]

"Oh ––– Punctured and farcical on a Quayside, disconsolate..."

You have to laugh or you'd cry real tears

 

Quietly confident of going through, not too bothered about the score. Keeping a clean sheet will be a big bonus.

 

They score and we are ****ed. We will need 3 just to get to extra time.

 

Yeah in all seriousness, it isn't totally over as we've shown tonight we can cause them problems.

A clean sheet is non-negotiable though, we have to have that to stand any chance – so this is the biggest worry.

There's a SLIGHT chance too Benfica will feel the second leg is a formality having such an advantage and we could shock them if we bolt out the traps.

A fervent SJP scaring them witless is like an extra away goal for us...

 

I can't predict a win, (I'm a huge jinx) but it will be a tremendous atmosphere, tremedous support, and it wont do us any harm at all....

 

We'll have to find a way of keeping you occupied in some other way.

 

No worries, I can find a way to occupy myself away from the forum,.........I wont be a jinx.

 

Yeah, I used to subscribe to that jinx theory and that I was one too. Perhaps I could influence the outcome by doing the reverse? (See thread top)

However once I started to predict negative NUFC results instead I found I'm now merely consistently correct.

Sorry

 

You mean there's life outside the forum?

 

For a chosen few, apparently there is.

 

I'm going to have to look into this more closely, I thought there was just football on Saturdays and not606 the rest of the time.

 

I'll predict after Fulham when I know who is fit. Nervous.

 

It's on google. Just checked. You can buy them from Amazon and all good highstreet stores.

 

I thought something had passed you by, well I put you in the picture, you can now make an informed decision, you can thank me with REP, or perhaps not! ,.

 

Done. Rep duly given.

 

2-0 win to us is my prediction. SJP needs to play the 12th man and I know we will

 

It's still up for grabs but no more defensive howlers thank you very much

 

Tight call, Benfica obviously favourites but so long as we keep a clean sheet we are in it. Fenerbache scored late twice last night to win 2-0 in a match which looked like it was going to be 0-0, that's all it takes. If we go 1-0 up at any point then they will get nervy. I'm actually more confident having to come from two down at St James rather than trying to keep a two goal lead away in Europe as PArds would just have had us defensive and taking punches all match.

If i had to predict... We'll beat Fulham, beat Benfica and then lose at home to Sunderland. Then all the Sunderland fans will be all over the boards tearing into us whilst we calmly try to explain we have bigger fish to fry.

 

2-0 to us

 

Exactly this - though my prediction after Fulham will be more based on how we fare against them - win and we can play a first team, lose or draw and we need to forget Europa and concentrate on smashing the Mackems