With both sides still winless in the new Premier League season, Newcastle United welcome Southampton to St James' Park for Saturday's top-flight encounter.
Steve Bruce's side go into the game after being knocked out of the EFL Cup on penalties by Burnley, while the Saints put eight unanswered goals past Newport County in round two.
Match preview
© Reuters
Callum Wilson adding to his ever-growing haul of goals against West Ham United is one of the few things that Newcastle fans have had to cheer so far this season, as Bruce's men were ultimately sunk by the Hammers before going down 2-0 at Aston Villa last weekend.
With an EFL Cup clash against Burnley representing an ideal opportunity to get their season up and running, Newcastle put out a reasonably strong team but could not beat the impenetrable Wayne Hennessey, who proceeded to save from Allan Saint-Maximin and Miguel Almiron in a shootout victory for Burnley.
The Magpies' 2020-21 season ended with so much promise thanks to the heroics of Joe Willock - whose permanent capture represents a key bit of business from the St James' Park outfit - but three straight defeats to start the season is just what the Magpies faithful would have feared.
Newcastle have only managed to claim three home wins from 12 attempts in the Premier League since the turn of the year, but they have at least managed to score in 11 of those games and have not lost their opening three Premier League games since the 1999-2000 season.
With Manchester United and Leeds United to come after the international break, the visit of Southampton represents Newcastle's best chance to put some points on the board so far, but Ralph Hasenhuttl's men have been buoyed by two eye-catching results.
© Reuters
Mercy is clearly not a word in Southampton's dictionary, as the Saints sought to banish all the talk of their infamous 9-0 thrashings at the hands of Leicester City and Manchester United by coming out on the right end of the scoreline in such a drubbing against Newport.
Hasenhuttl's side did not reach the magic number nine on the night, but Mohamed Elyounoussi's hat-trick, Armando Broja's brace and further strikes from Kyle Walker-Peters, Nathan Tella and Nathan Redmond saw them march to an 8-0 success over their League Two counterparts.
The Saints' record-breaking humiliation of Newport came days after they managed to hold Manchester United to a 1-1 draw at St Mary's, and if this is the start of a spell of good fortunes for Southampton, they sure have gone about it the right way.
However, a 3-1 defeat to Everton on the opening day stretched their losing run in the league away from home to six matches, during which time they have conceded 18 goals, and not since their doomed 2004-05 campaign have they suffered seven successive defeats on the road.
Southampton's record in the North East does not bode well for them, either, as they have lost their last four against Newcastle at St James' Park, including a 3-2 loss in this fixture during the 2020-21 campaign.
- L
- L
- L
- L
- L
- L
- D
- L
- D
- W
Team News
© Reuters
Martin Dubravka's return to Newcastle action has now been complicated after an infection in his foot wound, while Karl Darlow is still recovering from a nasty bout of coronavirus.
Isaac Hayden and Paul Dummett remain doubtful but have outside chances of coming into contention for the visit of the Saints, but Jonjo Shelvey is expected to miss around three weeks with another calf injury.
There will be no respite for Freddie Woodman in goal while Dubravka and Darlow remain out, while Willock should certainly return to the first XI alongside Almiron, Wilson and Saint-Maximin.
Southampton's long-term knee victims Will Smallbone and Sam McQueen remain in the treatment room, while Stuart Armstrong's tight calf could threaten his prospects of a start here.
In his place, it would not be a surprise to see Elyounoussi be given another chance to impress after his trio of goals in midweek, but Broja and Redmond are unlikely to retain their spots up top over Adam Armstrong and Che Adams.
Having lost Jannik Vestergaard to Leicester City, Southampton confirmed the signing of Brazilian defender Lyanco on Wednesday, but it may be too soon for the ex-Torino man to feature.
Newcastle United possible starting lineup:
Woodman; Fernandez, Lascelles, Clark; Murphy, Willock, Almiron, Longstaff, Ritchie; Wilson, Saint-Maximin
Southampton possible starting lineup:
McCarthy; Livramento, Bednarek, Salisu, Perraud; Walcott, Romeu, Ward-Prowse, Elyounoussi; Adams, Armstrong
We say: Newcastle United 2-2 Southampton
Newcastle's stellar record against Southampton at St James' Park cannot be overlooked, but morale is far higher in the visitors' camp at this moment in time.
Southampton may just edge it on paper, but the home advantage phenomenon is back in full swing as crowds return, and we can envisage an entertaining encounter finishing all square as both sides continue to search for that elusive first win.
Top tip
Ben Knapton
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Southampton win with a probability of 40.8%. A win for Newcastle United had a probability of 33.18% and a draw had a probability of 26%.
The most likely scoreline for a Southampton win was 0-1 with a probability of 9.96%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.69%) and 0-2 (7%). The likeliest Newcastle United win was 1-0 (8.8%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.36%). The actual scoreline of 2-2 was predicted with a 5.4% likelihood.
