Newcastle United will be eyeing a much-needed win when they travel to St. Mary’s Stadium to face Southampton this weekend. The Magpies are at the bottom of the table with just two points in nine games and tasting another defeat could spell further trouble for Rafa Benitez’s men.
As for Southampton, they are coming on the back of a 0-0 draw with Bournemouth and will be aiming for all three points as they look to get a move on this season.
Newcastle will continue to miss out on the services of key defender Florian Lejeune while Jamie Sterry is also sidelined with an injury. Also, another key defender in the form of Ciaran Clark is doubtful with a thigh injury.
Star striker Salomon Rondon is also doubtful a thigh problem, but coach Rafa Benitez will be hoping to have him back before the clash.
Benitez is unlikely to make any defensive alterations to the side that was narrowly beaten by Brighton last weekend. Thus, we could expect DeAndre Yedlin and Paul Dummett to occupy the fullback positions with Jamaal Lascelles and Federico Fernandez in central defence.
Yedlin has played a key role for the Magpies this season, with his pace and athleticism on the flanks often causing problems for the opposition. Furthermore, he has already made 12 interceptions and will play a key role in defence along with captain Lascelles, who leads the team regarding clearances so far this season.
Martin Dubravka will remain in between the sticks for the Magpies this weekend.
Benitez might place his trust on the midfield duo of Jonjo Shelvey and Mohamed Diame at the base of the 4-4-1-1. Only Joao Moutinho has attempted more tackles than Diame this season, whose work-ethic could play a key role against a tricky Southampton midfield this weekend.
Shelvey, on the other hand, was one of Newcastle’s most impressive players in the narrow defeat to Brighton last weekend.
Elsewhere, Matt Ritchie will continue to feature as the right-sided midfielder, especially after a promising game against Brighton while Kenedy will occupy the opposite flank, having made the most number of interceptions than anyone else in the team this season.
Ayoze Perez, as usual, will be deployed as the support striker behind Joselu, who will likely start ahead of both Yoshinori Muto and Salomon Rondon, whose fitness will be assessed ahead of the game.
Stat courtesy: Whoscored
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