The Premier League’s most in-form team, Southampton, welcome Newcastle United to St. Mary’s Stadium on Friday night. Manager Ralph Hassenhuttl’s team are playing excellent football and are unbeaten in five straight games with four of those ending in wins.
Southampton have won back-to-back games in the league claiming victories against Everton and Aston Villa. The Saints outscored their opponents 6-3 over the last 180 minutes of football. Southampton are fifth with 13 points from 21 possible and sit just three points off of first-place Liverpool. A win against Newcastle United would put Southampton top of the Premier League table at the end of Friday.
Newcastle United are 11th in the league heading into matchday 8. Steve Bruce’s team have taken 11 points from 21 possible and could move above Southampton in the table with a victory. The Magpies are unbeaten in two straight games, claiming a draw versus Wolverhampton Wanderers and win against Everton.
Newcastle United are unbeaten in six straight games versus Southampton. Their last three meetings all ended in wins for Newcastle United. Can Newcastle United make it four straight wins versus Southampton on Friday night?
Southampton vs Newcastle Betting Odds
Southampton have been good at St. Mary’s Stadium in the early stages of the season. They have taken six of nine points on offer. Their only defeat came at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur. Since that 5-2 loss to Spurs, Southampton have claimed back-to-back wins to nil versus West Brom and Everton. The Saints are +1 in goal difference with six goals scored and five allowed.
Newcastle United are unbeaten on the road with five points from nine taken. The Magpies claimed a win at West Ham and away draws versus Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers. Bruce’s team are +2 in goal difference with four goals scored and two allowed.
Southampton have not defeated Newcastle United since the 2015-16 league season. The Saints claimed a 3-1 win at St. Mary’s Stadium on that occasion. Since then, Newcastle United are unbeaten in six straight games claiming four wins.
Last season’s game at St. Mary’s Stadium finished 1-0 in favour of the Magpies. Allan Saint-Maximin scored the game’s only goal in the 79th minute to give Newcastle United the win. Southampton played much of the game with 10 men after Moussa Djenepo was sent off in the 28th minute.
Southampton vs Newcastle Team News
Hassenhuttl is waiting on the fitness reports to five players at Southampton. Jan Bednarek is the closest to being fully fit for Friday night’s game according to the latest reports. William Smallbone is still recovering from a thigh strain and is likely to miss the match. Ryan Bertrand is also likely to sit out with a thigh problem of his own. According to reports, it isn’t a serious problem.
Mohammed Salisu is still not match fit. He has not played a minute of league football for Southampton since arriving in the summer from Real Valladolid. He is considered a long-term project, but thus far, has been a disappointment.
The big worry for Hassenhuttl heading into Friday night is the knee injury to striker Danny Ings. Ings has five goals in seven games in the league. A scan revealed that the striker’s knee injury is not serious. He will likely sit out the game to recover.
Bruce’s injury issues at St. James’ Park have got better as the season has gone on. Four players are listed as out of action for the weekend. Jonjo Shelvey, Matt Ritchie, Dwight Gayle, and Martin Dubravka are all ruled out of the game due to various injuries. Callum Wilson is in brilliant form for Newcastle United with six goals in seven games.
Southampton vs Newcastle Prediction
Both teams to score - BET NOW
Six of the last nine Premier League games between Southampton and Newcastle United finished with both teams scoring goals. These teams have been able to find the back of the net against one another even when games against other league teams were short on goals. Three of Southampton’s last six games finished with both teams scoring. Five straight Newcastle United league games ended with both teams scoring goals.
Callum Wilson to score anytime - BET NOW
Newcastle United summer signing Callum Wilson is in brilliant form with six goals in seven games. Wilson scored twice against Everton in his last league outing as Newcastle United inflicted another loss on the Toffees. Wilson has scored four goals in his last four Premier League matches. He averages just 2.31 shots per 90 minutes and 0.90 expected goals per 90 minutes.
Over 2.5 goals scored - BET NOW
Ten of the last 13 games in the Premier League between Southampton and Newcastle United finished with over 2.5 goals scored. These teams light up the goal net when they meet in the league. Three of Southampton’s last six league games ended with over 2.5 goals scored. Newcastle United, on the other hand, had four of their last six games in the league end with more than 2.5 goals scored.
Newcastle United have won three straight games versus Southampton in the league. Two of those games saw both teams score goals and over 2.5 goals tallied. The Magpies won both games between the clubs last season by a combined score of 3-1. In both games, all the goals came in the second periods.
Southampton have a huge injury issue going into the Friday night game as Ings is likely to miss upcoming matches due to his latest knee injury. Although the Saints have been in form and playing well, the loss of Ings is massive to their chances of continually winning. He has five of their 14 goals. The good news is that Che Adams has played better in 2020-21.
The Saints have conceded 12 times and Newcastle United should exploit the team’s defensive weaknesses. With Ings out, expect Newcastle United to stay unbeaten away from home. The Magpies should claim yet another result with a win or draw. It will be the seventh straight game without a defeat for Newcastle United.
