Southampton will travel up north to take on Newcastle United at the St. James Park looking to upset the Toon Army and secure all three points on the day. Mauricio Pellegrino’s men are in real danger of getting relegated to the Skybet Championship at the end of the campaign. The Saints are currently sitting in the 17th position, just a point behind the Magpies. A victory at Tyneside will help them climb above Newcastle while a loss could leave their survival hopes in tatters.
Meanwhile, Rafael Benitez’s side are also in danger of getting relegated and will need to beat the Saints in order to get themselves out of trouble. This contest promises to be a ‘relegation six-pointer’ with both teams going all out to secure a win. Mauricio Pellegrino is expected to opt for a 4-2-3-1 formation and may name an unchanged side from last weekend. However, the Argentine could be enticed to make some changes in attack after his side were held to a goalless draw in their league outing versus Stoke City.
4-2-3-1 Southampton Predicted Lineup To Face Newcastle United
Defence
Alex McCarthy will once again line up in goal for the Saints and might be protected by a back four of Jack Stephens and Wesley Hoedt in central defence while Cedric Soares operates in a right-back role and Ryan Bertrand takes his place on the left side of the backline.
The Southampton defence has only kept one clean sheet in their last six matches in all competitions. Mauricio Pellegrino will be hoping that his backline can keep the Magpies attack at bay on Saturday.
Midfield
Oriol Romeu and Mario Lemina will operate as the holding midfielders for the home team and the trio of Josh Sims, Dusan Tadic and Nathan Redmond is expected to line up ahead of them. All five midfielders need to perform at the top of their game if the Saints are to have any chance of stopping the Magpies this weekend.
Attack
Guido Carrillo might be deployed up top to lead the lines for the Saints. The Argentine forward will hope to get his name on the scoresheet when he laces up to face the Newcastle defence this weekend.
Pellegrino can also choose Manolo Gabbiadini to start as his injury-time equaliser handed his team a point away at Burnley a few weeks back. Hence, the Argentine manager might reward him with a place in the first-team against the Tyneside outfit on Saturday with his team desperate for some productivity in the final third.
