Newcastle United will entertain Southampton in the Premier League on Saturday looking to bag all three points at St. James Park in what promises to be a ‘relegation six-pointer’ for both teams. The Magpies have been far too inconsistent in the league which has seen them slump to 16th place in the Premier League table. Rafael Benitez’s men are still in danger of suffering the agony of being relegated to the Skybet Championship at the end of the season. Hence, they are in dire need to secure some favourable results in the coming weeks in order to get themselves out of relegation trouble.
Meanwhile, the Saints are also in a similar situation, if not worse, as they look to upset the Toon Army by pulling off a win on Saturday. They are just a point behind the Tyneside club in the 17th position and will be aware of the fact that a victory will put them above the Magpies going into the final stretch of the campaign. Rafael Benitez is expected to revert back to a 4-4-1-1 formation and might be without the services of Jonjo Shelvey, who is in a race against time to be fit for this clash.
4-4-1-1 Newcastle United Predicted Lineup To Face Southampton
Defence
Martin Dúbravka will once again start in goal for the Magpies and may be shielded by a backline consisting of Jamaal Lascelles and Florian Lejeune as centre-backs while Paul Dummett takes the position of left-back and DeAndre Yedlin resumes his duties on the right side of the back four.
Rafael Benitez’s men have conceded 40 goals in 29 matches in the Premier League so far and have leaked in four goals in their last two league games. A clean sheet on Saturday may go a long way in boosting their chances of securing the three points at the St. James Park.
Midfield
Mohamed Diamé and Mikel Merino might be deployed at the centre of the park while new signing Kenedy, who is on loan from Chelsea, hugs the left flank and Matt Ritchie looks to conquer the right-hand side of the midfield. The Magpies midfielders will be responsible to create some opportunities for their forwards to feed on and their performance on the day could decide the fate of the contest.
Attack
Ayoze Perez might be used behind Dwight Gayle, who will lead the lines up front for the Tyneside club. Both strikers have struggled to score goals recently so they will be looking to get their names on the scoresheet again when they lace up to take on Mauricio Pellegrino’s Southampton on Saturday.
