Newcastle United will look to extend their unbeaten streak in the Premier League to nine games when they travel to the south coast to face Southampton on Sunday afternoon.
High-flying Toon make the long trip down to the south coast to face up and down Southampton, aiming to make it four wins on the bounce in the Premier League, while Saints look to rebound from the Crystal Palace defeat last time out.
The hosts should start looking over their shoulders since they are only one point above the relegation zone and could fall into the bottom three if things go against them this weekend. They suffered another narrow 1-0 defeat over the weekend at the hands of Crystal Palace, which has left manager Ralph Hasenhuttl under increasing pressure.
The Saints have won just three of their 13 Premier League matches this season, but there has been a slight uptick in form recently though, with just one loss from their last four games (D3), all of which were very close games. So, they are more than capable of at least troubling Newcastle in this home clash.
Newcastle, meanwhile, are on the opposite end of the spectrum, and are going from strength to strength this season and incredibly look like a genuine top-four contender. A victory on Sunday might see them overtake Spurs into third place. The Magpies nestled four past a hapless Aston Villa side in less than half an hour last Saturday to prove their Champions League spots credentials.
The last time these two sides met the game ended in a narrow 2-1 in the visitors’ favour with new signings Bruno Guimaraes and Chris Wood getting on the scoresheet. Ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter.
Team News & Tactics
Southampton
While they were hard done by some of their recent results, Injuries to key players have depleted their squad somewhat. Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl will have to once again make do without his first-choice right-backs in Kyle Walker-Peters and Tino Livramento through injury, with returns scheduled until after World Cup.
📍 Staplewood
Matchday minus 2️⃣ pic.twitter.com/KXyA2lhiWU
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) November 4, 2022
Armel Bella-Kotchap is progressing very well in his recovery from a dislocated shoulder and is close to a return, but may not be risked here. Romeo Lavia played for the club’s B squad on Sunday and is likely to rejoin the first team, while Samuel Edozie and Stuart Armstrong are also doubts with respective knocks.
Hasenhuttl is likely to keep faith in the same back-three that has looked defensively stable of late, with Lyanco, Duje Caleta-Car, and Mohammed Salisu expected to keep their places in front of young Gavin Bazunu in between the sticks. Romain Perraud will be the left-sided wing-back, whereas Mohamed Elyounoussi will slot in as a makeshift right wing-back due to a shortage in the full-back department.
The spine of the side will hold the key for Southampton up against the suffocating Newcastle press, with James Ward-Prowse looking to pull the strings, while Ibrahima Diallo and Ainsley Maitland-Niles acting as high-tempo box-to-box enforcers alongside the set-piece specialist in the midfield trio.
Joe Aribo and Che Adams will form the strike partnership for the hosts, with Sekou Mara, Moussa Djenepo, and Adam Armstrong as other striker options on the bench.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Bazunu; Lyanco, Caleta-Car, Salisu; Elyounoussi, Ward-Prowse, Maitland-Niles, Diallo, Perraud; Adams, Aribo
Newcastle United
Unlike his counterpart in the Southampton dugout, Eddie Howe does not have any fresh injury issues hampering his preparations ahead of the trip to St. Mary’s Stadium. However, the Newcastle boss suggested that several first-team players are carrying minor knocks and feeling the effects of the busy pre-World Cup period, but nothing serious.
The nominations keep coming! 🙌
Miguel Almirón and Bruno Guimarães have been shortlisted for the @PFA Fans’ Player of the Month award for October!
Voting is now open ⤵️
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) November 4, 2022
Karl Darlow (ankle), Emil Krafth (knee), Alexander Isak (thigh), and Matt Ritchie (calf) remain sidelined with long-term injuries, while Joelinton is suspended to face Southampton owing to an accumulation of yellow cards. Howe could name the same starting XI that swatted aside Villa 4-0 at St James’ Park last time out, with Jacob Murphy coming in for Joelinton as the only enforced change.
In goal, there is no looking past Nick Pope, who is currently leading the Premier League’s golden glove charts with six clean sheets. The pretty much same goes for the back-four of Kieran Trippier, Fabian Schar, Sven Botman, and Dan Burn, all of whom have contributed heavily to make Newcastle the best defensive outfit in the division.
Bruno Guimaraes picks himself in the anchor slot, from where he will provide the creative impetus for the Magpies, although Jonjo Shelvey is also pushing for a start. Joe Willock and Sean Longstaff will operate in box-to-box roles, with the latter also capable of slotting as a No. 6 if Guimaraes forays forward to impact the game.
Allan Saint-Maximin has only made cameo appearances in the last two games after returning from a hamstring issue and that role is unlikely to change here, maybe prolonged a bit, with Jacob Murphy getting the nod ahead of the Frenchman as Howe looks to protect Saint-Maximin from picking up an injury to further setback his full recovery process.
Miguel Almiron has virtually been nominated for every Premier League player award for the month of October and has in fact created his own goal-of-the-month version as he continues to weave his magic every weekend. Callum Wilson will also look to leave his mark to steer clear of his competition for the No. 2 England striker vacancy behind Harry Kane.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Pope; Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn; S Longstaff, Guimaraes, Willock; Almiron, C Wilson, J Murphy
Key Stats
- Newcastle United are unbeaten in 9 of their last 10 matches against Southampton across all competitions (W6 D3).
- Newcastle have won five of their last 6 Premier League matches, with the run propelling them into top four.
- Southampton have failed to win each of their last 13 games against sides in the top four (D5, L8).
- Toon winger Miguel Almiron has scored 6 goals in his last 6 Premier League matches.
- The Saints have lost 5 of their last 8 Premier League matches.
Player to Watch
Callum Wilson
While Miguel Almiron has grabbed all the headlines for October’s goal-scoring exploits, Callum Wilson’s consistent displays have kind of gone under the radar a bit despite netting six goals in nine games so far this campaign.
That’s actually a testament to his quality in front of goal as everyone thinks of him as a solid Premier League striker, but injuries have shunned him from getting the accolades that he deserves. Wilson not only served as Newcastle’s focal point over the years but has been the bow and arrow to get the Magpies out of trouble.
Now, the new owners have assembled a competent squad around him, and he has taken another step forward. He has scored four goals and assisted two in his past six Premier League games for Newcastle after returning from injury in October.
He scored a brace and grabbed an assist in Newcastle’s 4-0 win over Aston Villa at St James’s Park last Saturday, with England manager Gareth Southgate watching on from the stands. The Newcastle United striker has since been named in the 55-man provisional England squad for the 2022 World Cup, and should he continue this red-hot form, he’s well worthy of a plane ticket to Qatar.
Prediction
Southampton 1-3 Newcastle United
Newcastle are absolutely flying at the moment and playing really well, full of confidence, adventure, and a positive attitude. Despite missing Saint-Maximin and Alexander Isak, they have managed to find a really nice balance to their attack, while their defence is the stingiest in the whole division.
Southampton, meanwhile, have been very inconsistent so far this season. They can perform like a top-half team in a period during the game but can crumble the very next moment. For example, they were dominant in the second half and deserved three points against Arsenal recently, but could not compensate for their failures in the first.
They’ve gone eight Premier League games without a loss, and their 2-1 defeat to Liverpool was thanks to a late, late, controversial goal. For those reasons, It’s difficult to see anything but a Newcastle victory this weekend
