Benitez receives Carragher backing

Jamie Carragher believes the Rafa Benitez is the perfect man to lead Newcastle into a new era, after his appointment was confirmed last week following the dismissal of Steve McClaren from St James’ Park.

The former Liverpool defender feels that the Spaniard can even deliver trophies at the North East club, should they avoid the drop this season.

Betway offer odds of 1.61/1 for Benitez’ new side to get relegated, and if it were to happen, the former Real Madrid manager has a clause inserted in his contract allowing him to leave with immediate effect.

Carragher clearly has fond memories of his time working with Benitez, with the duo famously helping Liverpool to Champions League success back in 2005. Despite having begun life at Newcastle with defeat at table topping Leicester City, Benitez himself is confident of steering his side to safety with just nine games remaining.

We could well see a different Newcastle side next season should they avoid relegation, with Benitez surely looking to bring in fresh faces both on and off the pitch. Doing so could cause conflict however, with the Newcastle owners being notoriously difficult to work with in the past.

In what is likely to be a baptism of fire for Benitez, his first home game in charge see’s his side come up against fierce North East rivals Sunderland, who themselves are battling for safety in the Premier League. It does however provide the perfect opportunity for Benitez to warm himself to the St James’ Park faithful, and his players should certainly need no added motivation heading into game.

Football matches on today that are worth betting on are provided by the Europa League, with Liverpool looking to finish the job against Manchester United at Old Trafford, before attention quickly shifts back to the Premier League. Betway currently offer Newcastle at 2.15/1 to take a giant stride towards safety with a victory over Sunderland this weekend.

Newcastle supporters will certainly be looking forward to a more successful spell under their new manager, with Steve McClaren only managing to deliver six Premier League victories during his time in charge. The former England manager now faces an uncertain future, with the possibility of another spell abroad looking likely.