Premier League | Gameweek 23

Jan 25, 2025 at 3pm UK

St. Mary's Stadium

Southampton vs Newcastle

Match preview

Southampton's woes continued last weekend as they suffered a 3-2 defeat away to Premier League surprise package Nottingham Forest.

Nuno Espirito Santo's side raced into a 3-0 lead, but the Saints refused to go down without a fight and pulled two goals back in the second half.

The performance at the City Ground says a lot about Southampton of late - their spirit and determination has improved under new boss Ivan Juric, but it has yet to make a difference to their league position.

With 18 defeats and just six points to their name, the hosts are 10 points adrift of safety and look certain to return to the Championship next season.

The Saints have conceded a staggering 50 goals in their 22 league games, the most of any team in the division so far.

Add to that the fact that they are the league's lowest scorers with 15 goals, and it becomes difficult to make a case for the hosts to stay in the Premier League.

On the plus side for the new Saints boss, four of those goals have come under his stewardship, and apart from a 5-0 thrashing at Brentford in early January, Southampton's games have been relatively close.

However, if they are to pull off a miraculous survival, they will need to start winning soon, and their fixtures will not get any easier with one of the most in-form sides in the country visiting this weekend.

Last weekend's defeat to Bournemouth ended an impressive nine-game winning run in all competitions for the Magpies, which had seen them climb from 12th to fourth in the table.

Despite last weekend's heavy defeat, the visitors have been scoring goals for fun in recent weeks, with the Toon Army outscoring their opponents by 26 goals to three during that nine-game winning streak.

These statistics are perhaps unsurprising when Eddie Howe's side boast the fifth best defence in the division, as well as the seventh best attack.

At the heart of Newcastle's attack is one of the league's most in-form strikers, Alexander Isak, who currently sits third in the league's scoring charts with 15 goals in 20 appearances.

With Isak's long-term future at the club the subject of much speculation in the media, Newcastle would love to secure Champions League football next season and end their long wait for a trophy to persuade the Swedish star to stay.

The Magpies have one foot in the League Cup final after beating Arsenal 2-0 in the first leg of their semi-final tie, and will be confident of taking three points this weekend to continue their push for Champions League football for the second time in three seasons.

Howe's side will be looking to build on a four-match unbeaten run away from home in all competitions, having last lost away to Brentford in December.

Recent Performance

Southampton Premier League form:DLLLLL

Southampton form (all competitions):LLLWLL

Newcastle United Premier League form:WWWWWL

Newcastle United form (all competitions):WWWWWL

Team News

Southampton have a number of injury concerns, with Ross Stewart out until the end of the month with a calf injury, while Jack Stephens (calf) and Gavin Bazunu are not expected back until February.

Goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale is a doubt after picking up a knock in training, with Juric pointing to his torso when asked by the media about the nature of his injury.

The Croatian boss believes Ramsdale could still play, but if the former Arsenal stopper is unavailable, Alex McCarthy would be the likely starter in goal for the Saints.

Elsewhere, promising youngster Tyler Dibling is expected to miss the clash with an ankle problem, while Kamaldeen Sulemana (hamstring) has also been ruled out.

Meanwhile, Martin Dubravka is expected to continue in goal for the visitors as Nick Pope remains a doubt with a knee injury.

Other absentees for the visitors include Jamaal Lascelles (ACL), Callum Wilson (hamstring) and Harvey Barnes (muscle).

Possible starting lineup

Southampton possible starting lineup:

Ramsdale; Walker-Peters, Bree, Bednarek, Harwood-Bellis, Manning; Downes, Fernandes, Aribo; Archer, Onuachu

Newcastle United possible starting lineup:

Dubravka; Hall, Burn, Schar, Livramento; Joelinton, Tonali, Guimaraes; Gordon, Isak, Murphy