Former Newcastle United striker Andy Carroll has backed the Magpies to beat Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League today.
The striker came up through the ranks of the Tyneside club and had two spells with their senior team earlier in his career.
He joined Ligue 2 side Amiens in the last window and has had a detailed chat with L’Equipe to preview Newcastle’s clash against PSG.
When asked if Eddie Howe’s side can get a result against the Paris club, he said: “Yes, they were a little tense for the return to the Champions League against Milan but will free themselves at St James’ Park, where the atmosphere will be absolutely crazy.
“I’m still in contact with players and members of the staff, I will send them messages of encouragement before the meeting.”
During his first spell at the Premier League side, the frontman spent over four years with the first team before leaving them for Liverpool in January 2011.
“In fact, I wanted to stay, but from the moment Liverpool made this incredible offer, on the last day of the transfer window, I found myself, without really understanding why, in a helicopter,” Carroll explained.
“As I was injured, I remember thinking, ‘I hope I fail the medical exam’. Then, to be honest, in hindsight, I think this transfer was a good thing.”
When asked why the move was good, he added: “Because it made me grow by taking me out of my comfort zone. I knew nothing about life, and football, apart from Newcastle.”
Carroll returned to Newcastle in 2019, with the hope of finishing his playing career with them. However, things didn’t go as per his plan and the attacker left the Tyneside club as a free agent in 2021.
On his second spell at Newcastle, Carroll explained: “I was very excited, I was thinking of coming back to Newcastle to finish my career there. But nothing happened as I hoped.
“The team wasn’t playing good football, I wasn’t playing much and, because of the pandemic, we played games in an empty St James’ Park, which was sad because the club draws all its strength from its fans.”
The former Newcastle man has made seven appearances this season and is yet to score his first goal for Amiens.
