Newcastle United face a trip to Southampton on Thursday evening, as Eddie Howe’s men look to make it three Premier League wins on the bounce.
The Magpies steered further clear of the relegation zone with a 2-1 win over Brighton last weekend. Four wins out of the last five games has taken them to 14th on the table, seven points above the drop zone.
Eddie Howe’s side are currently brimming with confidence, although they will be wary of Southampton, who are on a 10- game unbeaten run at home in the Premier League.
Newcastle United Team News
Jamaal Lewis, Callum Wilson, Kieran Trippier and Isaac Hayden are all long-term casualties for Newcastle United, and the upcoming game at Southampton may come too soon for Matt Ritchie, who has returned to training.
So, Eddie Howe is expected to have the same squad that beat Brighton 2-1 last weekend.
Predicted Newcastle Lineup vs Southampton (4-3-3)
Goalkeeper
Martin Dubravka has been Newcastle United’s no.1 under Eddie Howe and the Serbian is expected to start against Southampton in midweek.
Defence
A back four of Emil Krafth, Fabian Schar, Dan Burn and Matt Targett could retain their places in defence in the Newcastle lineup.
They will have to stick together and defend well against an in-form Southampton attack to help the Magpies get a positive result out of the game.
Midfield
The Newcastle midfield will be anchored by Jonjo Shelvey, flanked by the creative duo of Joe Willock and Joelinton. Willock’s energy and driving runs in the box can cause problems to the Southampton backline. Joelinton, meanwhile, is enjoying a new lease of life in the central midfield role, providing Howe’s side with plenty of aggression, physicality and attacking flair.
If the midfield trio of Shelvey, Willock and Joelinton can stick to their guns and neutralise the influence of James Ward-Prowse and Oriol Romeu, Newcastle’s chances of beating Southampton will increase manifold at the St. Mary’s Stadium.
Attack
Chris Wood is a certainty to lead the Newcastle lineup again. The Kiwi’s physicality, aerial ability and clever movement in the box make him a handful for the defenders.
Allan Saint-Maximin came off the bench last weekend to help the Toon Army win against Brighton, but he could be involved from the start at the St. Mary’s Stadium even though Howe signaled that he is willing to be patient with the attacker.
The enigmatic Frenchman could get the nod ahead of Jacob Murphy on the left flank, with Ryan Fraser keeping his place intact on the opposite side of the front three in the Newcastle lineup.