Football.co.uk continues its club-by-club countdown to the start of the of the new Premier League season with returning giants Newcastle United.
Last season - Championship winners
Chris Hughton's men waltzed to the Championship title last season, losing just four times in 46 games and finishing 11 points clear of runners-up West Bromwich Albion.
In midfield Alan Smith, Jonas Gutierrez, Danny Guthrie and Kevin Nolan provided plenty of Premier League experience, while Andy Carroll caught fire with 17 goals in 39 league games.
- Newcastle fixtures / Newcastle squad
Carroll and striker partner Peter Lovenkrands should remain a threat in the top flight, but the big question is whether United have enough strength in depth to survive relegation.
Defensively, Fabricio Coloccini appeared vulnerable during his last stint in the Premier League, and beyond their first-choice back four Newcastle could come unstuck against more clinical opposition.
In James Perch (free)
Out Nicky Butt, Fabrice Pancrate
Player to watch Jonas Gutierrez
The Argentine they call 'Spiderman' was a mainstay of the Newcastle side last season and also a member of Diego Maradona's World Cup squad in South Africa.
A direct and incisive winger, Gutierrez is not afraid to go at opposition defences and is capable of producing match-winning moments of inspiration.
Football.co.uk verdict
This is not the star-studded Newcastle of old, but Hughton's well-organised team should have just enough quality to survive the drop.
But even if the spine of the side stays fit, and Joey Barton recovers his former glories in midfield, Newcastle are surely set to be embroiled in a relegation scrap until late in the season.
For them to remain in the top flight, one of Carroll and Lovenkrands will surely need to deliver goal tallies in double figures and Nolan will need to produce a season every bit as good as his last.
Prediction - 17th
Source: DSG
