Newcastle United will head to the south coast this weekend for their Premier League clash with a struggling Southampton side, and Eddie Howe will be looking to put the Bournemouth defeat behind them.
The Magpies will be searching for three points when they head south for their 3pm kick-off at St Mary’s tomorrow as they continue their pursuit for a comfortable position in the European qualification spots.
After a 4-1 battering from Bournemouth last weekend, a strong and confident response will be imperative as the competition for a place inside the top six tightens with competition from both the Cherries and Aston Villa just behind them.
Southampton are in a very precarious position with only six points taken from their 22 league outings and are on course to either match Derby County for the lowest points tally (11) of a Premier League side since records began or worse.
The freefall Saints are in sets the stage for Newcastle to redeem themselves away from home by taking all three points from the struggling side and with Chelsea playing Manchester City there is a real opportunity to move up the table depending on results.
In terms of injuries, Jamaal Lascelles, Callum Wilson and Harvey Barnes are all remain ruled out, but a familiar face could make a comeback in the squad tomorrow after being subjected to a late fitness test.
Eddie Howe took to his pre-match press conference to confirm that Newcastle’s number one Nick Pope could be in the squad for the trip to Southampton this weekend.
The Newcastle boss revealed:
“There’s a chance he’ll be in the squad,”
“He’s started training with the group again and it’s great to see Nick back and his presence, the positivity that he brings.”
“I’ve seen him do some really good things this week, so yeah, delighted to have him back in the mix.”
How could Newcastle line up against Southampton?
Nothing but Newcastle predicts that Eddie Howe will make just one change to the team that lost to Bournemouth last weekend, maintaining his usual 4-3-3 formation.
Despite Nick Pope’s potential return to the squad for the Southampton clash, it is likely that Martin Dubravka will continue his role in net as it could be a game too soon for the number one.
The only change we expect to see is Fabian Schar’s return to the starting eleven to replace Dan Burn in the centre-back partnership with Sven Botman, after such a heavy defeat at home it may be wise for Howe to revise his defensive set up.
We predict that Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento will retain their spots in their respective fullback positions to complete the back four.
In the centre of the pitch, Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and Joelinton are expected to complete the midfield unchanged to maintain consistency quickly becoming Howe’s most trusted set up.
In the attacking threat, again, the most trusted trio are likely to make up the forward line with Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon and Jacob Murphy being the combination to cause chaos for Southampton’s defence.