Owen eyes must win clash

Michael Owen admits Newcastle are desperate to win what he describes as an 'acid test' against fellow strugglers Portsmouth at home on Monday. The 28-year-old hasn't scored in his last eight games and has only been on the scoresheet once since he netted in the Magpies 3-0 win at Fratton Park back in December.Despite his lack of form in front of goal the striker feels that with the arrival of Alan Shearer as boss the side can avoid the drop.However the former Liverpool ace knows that if they are to give themselves a fighting chance they must win at St James' Park on Monday."It's great to see him back. He has brought a new lease of life to the fans and to certain members of the playing staff," he said."We are obviously desperate for a win. He came in - a bit like when Kevin Keegan came in and we had Arsenal away in the first two games in the cup and in the league - and we have had a couple of tough games since the manager came in.Acid test"But this is a game on Monday now that we are probably expected to win, so it is probably our acid test."We need to win, there's no two ways about it. We need to get three points."Shearer must now decide who to play upfront alongside Owen with Obafemi Martins and Mark Viduka fit and vying for a place but the Magpies skipper insists that there is no reason why all three cannot play together."It remains to be seen what the manager does, but the results are there for all to see," he added."At the end of last year when we reverted to that (three upfront) we went on a great run, pulled away from the relegation zone and ended up quite comfortable at the end of the season."The results are there for all to see. We played some of our best football when Kevin Keegan changed to that formation."

Source: SKY_Sports