Southampton (H): Pre-match thoughts, team news, possible line-up and prediction

by Olly Hawkins · 16 August 2024, 17:32

The Premier League season is back. I can't wait for 3pm Saturday, a St James' Park matchday and to see Eddie Howe's Mags back in competitive action.

Pre-season results have been solid and there's plenty of reasons to be hopeful heading into the 2024/25 campaign, but it has been a bit of a chaotic summer on Tyneside so far, with a mad end to June's PSR deadline - where we reluctantly sold Yankuba Minteh and Elliot Anderson - followed by the departures of Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi.

After that came the arrival of new sporting director Paul Mitchell, who is yet to show his transfer acumen just yet but arrives with a superb track record. His first signing was Danish striker Will Osula, who arrives after Lloyd Kelly (free), Lewis Hall (£28m), Odysseas Vlachodimos and John Ruddy (free).

The concern is we're yet to sign anyone who immediately improves our first 11, but we're still working on a deal for Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi (for now) and may also sign a much-needed right-winger. However, signings aside, there's so much to be positive about in the existing squad.

Star trio Bruno Guimaraes, Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon look set to stay, Sandro Tonali is back soon, key players we missed last season are fit again in Nick Pope, Joelinton, Joe Willock and Harvey Barnes, Eddie Howe stayed despite interest from England, James Bunce - our new performance director - will hopefully improve our recent injury record, Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento are top talents who are only getting better, Trevan Sanusi has had a breakthrough pre-season and the fact we're not in Europe - which is a real shame - could benefit our Premier League form while other top six rivals attempt to strike a balance.

First up, we have newly-promoted Southampton, who are yet to re-sign Ryan Fraser but have former Mag Adam Armstrong in their ranks and a highly-rated young manager in Russell Martin, who likes to play out from the back and play a possession game. They are back in the Premier League after beating Leeds in the play-off final back in May and will be out to cause an upset this weekend.

Here's a recap of our pre-season results and goalscorers (mostly Jacob Murphy!) before we get to Eddie Howe's pre-match quotes, team news and predictions:

22nd July – SpVgg Unterhaching 1-3 Newcastle (⚽ Barnes ⚽ Murphy ⚽ Isak)
27th July – Hull City 0-2 Newcastle (⚽ Isak, ⚽ Murphy)
31st July – Urawa Red Diamonds 1-4 Newcastle (⚽ Isak, ⚽⚽ Murphy, ⚽ Hall)
3rd August – Yokohama F. Marinos 2-0 Newcastle
9th August – Newcastle 4-0 Girona (⚽⚽ Longstaff, ⚽ Murphy, ⚽ Gordon)
10th August – Newcastle 1-0 Stade Brest (⚽ Barnes)

Eddie Howe's message

"There is always a great feeling before the start of the season. We’ve had a good pre-season, we are in good shape. The lads have worked really well. It’s been an intense period, as it always is.

"Your preference is always the first game to be at home, we know the supporters will be with us, we know how important they will be to us. We have to do our bit."

“We have evolved the squad, that is not always necessarily in terms of personnel. We’re trying to do that all the time. We’re trying to add layers to our game. We’re trying to improve. I think we have done that in pre-season.

"Obviously, the proof will be in what we deliver going into the season. I think the players we have here and the squad we have is in a good place and ready to play.”

Team news

Fabian Schar is fine despite limping off in last weekend's pre-season win over Brest, but it'll be interesting to see if Kieran Trippier and Anthony Gordon are fit to start after an extended summer break after Euro 2024 and only 45 minutes of action in pre-season.

Sandro Tonali (ineligible) won't be back until August 28th (the likely date for our Carabao Cup trip to Nottingham Forest) and we'll start the season without Callum Wilson (back), Lewis Miley (foot), Sven Botman (ACL) and Jamaal Lascelles (ACL). Matt Targett (Achilles) is back in training but he's well down the pecking order now.

Predicted line-up: (4-3-3) Pope - Trippier, Schar, Burn, Hall - Longstaff, Bruno, Joelinton - Murphy, Isak, Gordon.

I believe there's probably one three dilemmas for Eddie Howe going into this one. Lloyd Kelly or Dan Burn as the left-sided centre-back, Kieran Trippier or Tino Livramento at right-back and Anthony Gordon or Harvey Barnes on the left wing?

Starting at centre-back, I think Howe will ease Kelly in and opt with Burn for now, who has played 348 pre-season minutes compared to Kelly's 135. Schar did partner Kelly in our final friendly against Brest, but he has played alongside Burn on plenty of occasions.

At right-back, I think Tino will get the nod ahead of Trippier against his former club. He looks in great shape - he's clearly been hitting the gym this summer - and is ready for a big season, while Trippier has only played 69 minutes of pre-season after a long summer with England and extended break.

On the left wing, Gordon strikes me as the sort of player who'll be desperate to play - and I think he will. He's only played 45 minutes over pre-season, starting our first half mauling of Girona last Friday, but he's the heartbeat of our attack, has had a full week of training and will be keen to prove a point after his frustrating lack of minutes at the Euros. It could be a big season for Barnes, but Gordon has to start down the left if fit enough.

Prediction: Newcastle 3-1 Southampton

Despite the transfer frustrations, I am feeling really confident going into this one and think we'll beat the Saints pretty comfortably.

We have a world class midfielder in Bruno Guimaraes and one of the best strikers on the planet in Alexander Isak, and I think both will run riot here, with Joelinton also back to boss the midfield and Jacob Murphy hoping to build on his brilliant pre-season form.

Isak to run riot and Eddie's Mags to get off to the perfect start at St James' Park!