Southampton will host Newcastle United at St. Mary’s on Saturday, looking to get their disastrous campaign back on track.
Southampton are at the bottom of the Premier League table, and they need to start picking up points if they want to secure safety in the top flight, starting with the game vs Newcastle United at St. Mary’s on Saturday afternoon.
Meanwhile, Newcastle United were beaten by Bournemouth in their last Premier League game, and they will be desperate to bounce back strongly. The Magpies have have fallen from fourth to sixth in the Premier League standings, and they will look to push for UEFA Champions League qualification for the next season.
Newcastle United need to win these games to finish in the top four, and it will be interesting to see if they can grind out a positive result here. Southampton need a major slice of luck to avoid relegation this season.
The Saints will need to pick up important results between now and the end of the season in order to stay up. It will be interesting to see if they can pull off a surprise result here. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides
Team News & Tactics
Southampton
Southampton will be without Ross Stewart due to a calf injury, while Jack Stephens misses out with a knock. Tyler Dibling is ruled out for several weeks as well. The home side will shape up in a 3-5-2 formation, with Aaron Ramsdale in goal.
Taylor Harwood-Bellis will start alongside Jan Bednarek and Nathan Wood in the back three. Yukinari Sugawara and Kyle Walker-Peters will start as the wing-backs. They will look to keep things tight at the back and hit Newcastle on the break.
As for the midfield unit, Joe Aribo will start alongside Flynn Downes and Lesley Ugochukwu in the middle of the park. They will look to add physicality, defensive cover and drive to the side. Finally, Adam Armstrong will start alongside Ben Brereton Diaz in the strike partnership for Southampton vs Newcastle United.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Ramsdale; Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Wood; Sugawara, Aribo, Ugochukwu, Downes, Walker-Peters; Armstrong, Diaz
Newcastle United
Newcastle United will be without Nick Pope due to a knee injury vs Southampton. Meanwhile, Jamaal Lascelles is out with a long-term knee injury, Harvey Barnes has a thigh injury, and Callum Wilson will miss out due to a hamstring injury.
Newcastle United will shape up in a 4-3-3 formation vs Southampton, with Martin Dubravka in goal. Valentino Livramento and Lewis Hall will start as the full-backs. They will look to help out at both ends of the pitch. Lloyd Kelly will form the central defensive partnership alongside Fabian Schar.
Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and Joelintion will start in the middle of the park. While Tonali will look to win the ball back for his side and break up opposition attacks, Guimaraes and Joelinton will add creativity and drive to the side. Alexander Isak will lead the line for Newcastle against Southampton, with Jacob Murphy and Anthony Gordon on either side of him.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Dubravka; Livramento, Schar, Kelly, Hall; Tonali, Guimaraes, Joelinton; Murphy, Isak, Gordon
Key Stats
- Newcastle United have won their last six matches vs Southampton in all competitions.
- Southampton have lost eight of their last nine matches in the Premier League.
- There have been over 2.5 goals scored in eight of Newcastle United’s last nine games in the Premier League.
- 17 goals have been scored in the last six meetings between these two sides.
- Southampton have conceded 14 goals in their last six matches in all competitions.
Player to Watch
Alexander Isak
The Newcastle United striker has been in terrific form this season and he is undoubtedly one of the best players in the Premier League. He will look to take advantage of Southampton’s defensive vulnerabilities and punish them in the final third. The home side have conceded 50 goals in the league already and Isak will certainly fancy his chances of getting on the scoresheet here. He will look to create goal-scoring opportunities for his teammates as well.
Prediction
Southampton 1-2 Newcastle United
Newcastle will be the favourites here and they should be able to grind out all three points.
They will be disappointed with the performance against Bournemouth last time out and they will be desperate to bounce back strongly. Southampton on the other hand are completely lacking in form and confidence. They have been quite poor in their recent outings and they are likely to fall short here. A narrow victory for Newcastle is on the cards.
