Get the latest NUFC transfer and takeover news straight to your inbox for FREE by signing up to our newsletter Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson believes Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez 'could not have done what Neil Warnock has at Cardiff'.

Newcastle welcome the Bluebirds to St James' Park this weekend in what is a huge game at the bottom of the Premier League table.

A win would lift Benitez's side out of the relegation zone and above Cardiff in the table. Defeat could leave them four points adrift of safety.

Warnock guided Cardiff to promotion from the Championship last season having achieved steered them to safety the season before, with the Bluebirds hovering dangerously close to the Championship's bottom three.

And despite Benitez achieving promotion from the same division with Newcastle two seasons ago, he doubts Benitez, who has won the Champions League, Europa League, UEFA Cup, Club World Cup, FA Cup, Coppa Italia, two La Liga's and twice named UEFA Manager of the Year, could have done a similar job that Warnock has done in South Wales.

Despite predicting Newcastle to beat Cardiff 1-0 in his weekly predictions, he told Sky Sports: "This is the biggest game of the weekend. This is huge. A cup final.

"I watched Cardiff against Huddersfield and they got battered - it was just that Huddersfield wouldn't have scored in a month of Sundays. Cardiff wouldn't have either, by the way.

"Rafa Benitez couldn't have done what Neil Warnock has done at Cardiff though. No chance. Warnock is pulling up trees. He's an unbelievable manager.

"I'm leaning just towards Newcastle here, who have got superior players to Cardiff. That will be the difference. Imagine if Newcastle lose? There'd be uproar. They simply can't lose this game. And won't."