Southampton travel north to face Newcastle at St. James' Park on Saturday afternoon, on matchday three of the Premier League.
The Magpies have endured a rather disappointing start to their campaign, losing at home to West Ham - leading twice before eventually falling to a 4-2 defeat - and then suffering a 2-0 defeat away at Villa Park, before losing a midweek penalty shootout to Burnley in the Carabao Cup.
Saints boss Ralph Hassenhuttl will be keen to keep the momentum flowing into Saturday's trip to Newcastle following a 1-1 draw at home to Manchester United.
Here's 90min's preview of Saturday's fixture.
How to watch Newcastle vs Southampton on TV
When is kick off? Saturday 28 August, 15:00 (BST)
Where is it being played? St. James' Park, Newcastle
What TV channel is it on? fuboTV (US)
Who's the referee? Paul Tierney
Who's on VAR duty? Mike Dean
Newcastle team news
Steve Bruce will once again be without his first and second-choice goalkeepers. Martin Dubravka remains absent after his foot surgery in the summer and Karl Darlow continues his recovery form COVID-19, meaning another start for Freddie Woodman between the sticks.
Isaac Hayden was forced off at the midway point in Newcastle's defeat at Aston Villa at the weekend and, along with Jonjo Shelvey, did not train on Monday. The pair were absent from the Magpies' cup game with Burnley, although whether they'll be fit for Saturday's Premier League matchup is not yet certain.
SB on Joe Willock's fitness:
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) August 24, 2021
"It's fair to say that Joe didn't have a lot of minutes in pre-season but he's young and he needs that. We'll get some minutes into Joe, that's for sure. That goes for a lot of the squad too. It's a chance to get some minutes into your squad." pic.twitter.com/cNbxuKYhLx
Paul Dummett has returned from injury, while Joe Willock's return to full match fitness will continue as the youngster came off the bench on Wednesday and could be set for more minutes this weekend.
Southampton team news
Stuart Armstrong was absent from his side's 1-1 draw with United at the weekend and will likely be out for their upcoming trip to the north east, with it being confirmed that the Scotsman had picked up a minor calf problem.
Otherwise, Hassenhuttl should have few worries and will likely field a similar side to the one that picked up a point against United.
Newcastle vs Southampton predicted lineups
Newcastle: Woodman; Lascelles, Schar, Fernandez; Murphy, Almiron, Longstaff, Willock, Ritchie; Wilson, Saint-Maximin.
Southampton: McCarthy; Livramento, Stephens, Salisu, Perraud; Walcott, Romeu, Ward-Prowse, Djenepo; Armstrong, Adams.
Newcastle vs Southampton prediction
Neither team have had an ideal start to the 2021/22 season.
Newcastle and Bruce will be absolutely gasping for a first win of the campaign, especially having led twice on the opening day to go on to lose 4-2 before putting in a poor showing at Villa Park last time out.
Meanwhile, Southampton can feel encouraged by their 1-1 draw at home to Manchester United last weekend and their 8-0 thumping of Newport in the Carabao Cup.
It will undoubtedly be a close game, with fear rather than freedom possibly being the determining factor as to how the match plays out. However, both sides do have their bright sparks and, while Allan Saint-Maximin is a threat to anyone in the league, the Saints have creative quality in abundance and should be able to secure three points on the road.
Prediction: Newcastle 1-2 Southampton
Source: 90min
