Newcastle United
Southampton FC
Southampton FC
Fellow strugglers Newcastle and Southampton go in search of rare wins amid poor form
Southampton to win 2-1
Southampton have spent the past couple of days trying to get their heads around the humiliating 9-0 bashing dished out by Manchester United in midweek.
The Saints had two players sent off to make matters worse, though the damage was done before losing their second player. Indeed, this is not the first time that Southampton have been handed out such a drubbing.
Only just over a year ago were they handed out the same humiliation by Leicester, though they may find it harder to overcome it this time around. The Saints are injury and suspension hit, not to mention utterly demoralised.
Newcastle’s form is no better, despite earning their 6th win of the season a couple of matches ago against Everton. The Magpies have lost four of the last five, and seven from the last 10 going back further.
This form certainly makes this a hard one to call.
Form Guide (all comps): LLLWL
Reasons to be cheerful:
Opponents’ confidence will be completely shot
Decent performance despite Palace defeat
Reasons to be fearful:
Lost reverse fixture 2-0
Gap to the bottom is getting closer
Newcastle fans would have hoped that their season was back on track after beating Everton last week, however their team slipped back to losing ways after going down once more against Crystal Palace.
They have already lost six games since the start of 2021, at least two more than any other side, and manager Steve Bruce will continue to be worried for his own future as well as that of his team.
On the plus side, they do look a little healthier going forward right now, with Callum Wilson scoring twice and assisting once in his last two matches.
They also have reason for optimism based on Southampton’s situation, having lost by a staggering nine goals in midweek and with numerous injury concerns to manage.
Star Man – Callum Wilson
Their star striker has 15 goal involvements from his first 20 league games for Newcastle since signing in the summer.
Form Guide (all comps): WWLLL
Reasons to be cheerful:
Have proved they can bounce back from heavy defeats
Played well in their 2-0 win over Newcastle in November
Reasons to be fearful:
Morale will be at any all-time low after 9-0 defeat
Absentee list is long
They say that lightning never strikes twice, but it has done just that for this unfortunate Southampton side who have twice lost by the biggest margin in Premier League history within the space of 18 months.
Although having a player sent off within two minutes was not ideal, the way in which The Saints utterly fell apart after that was unforgivable, and will leave manager Ralph Hasenhuttl in a difficult place as he aims to firstly pick himself up and then his players.
Unfortunately, the list of players unavailable continues to grow, with up to nine first team players missing through either injury or suspension.
One positive is that Takumi Minamino, freshly loaned in from Liverpool, could play a role in a real boost to the Saints attacking plans.
Star Man – Che Adams
Came closest to scoring against Manchester United with a disallowed goal and netted in their previous win over Newcastle.
Could be a low-key affair with few chances
Neither side will want to lose another game
Can Southampton pick themselves up?
There is a sneaky suspicion that Southampton could come back with a bang here. It took them several weeks to recover after their first 9-0 defeat, but are a better team these days with some quality players, despite all of their absentees.
Newcastle have been poor for much of the season, and it remains to be seen whether they can bounce back from defeat or not. History suggests Southampton are favourites.
Southampton to win 2-1
