Michael Owen hasn't always been glowing about Newcastle United. The former Magpie has spoken openly about his disappointing spell on Tyneside between 2005 and 2009.
Owen scored 30 goals in 79 appearances for Newcastle, but claims he was unhappy not to have forced a return to Liverpool at the time instead. So Toon fans may be surprised to hear how positive the ex-England man is being about the club today. The 43 believes they are certain to qualify for the Champions League this term.
"Oh yeah, I do," Owen told AceOdds. "I mean, they've got a decent sized squad. It's not like they're in European competition. They're not in any of the cups now. They're fully focused just on the Premier League.
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"So very soon, it's basically going to be one game a week. You're not going to have to rotate and rest and things like that. There's only nine or ten games to go of the season. And there's still eight weeks to go or something."
Owen even went on to say there is "something special" happening at the club under Eddie Howe, and heaped praise on a fan base which hasn't always been kind to him.
"So it's not a crowded schedule for them," he says. "They're definitely going to have the freshness to keep going. And they've got the ability, they've got the players, they've got the fan base, they've got the manager, it feels like there's something special brewing up there.
"So they've definitely got the means to qualify in the top four. In fact, I think they will be in the top four by the end of the season. They had a little wobble, but did you see the fixtures around that time? I mean, they were playing a lot of really tough games.
Now I'd be very positive towards Newcastle."
