Newcastle United will host Southampton at St. James’ Park this weekend.
Newcastle United have reserved their place in the Premier League for the 2019-20 campaign after defeating Leicester City last week, but the Magpies should not settle for 38 points. Rafa Benitez made it clear in his post-match interview last Friday that he will make sure Newcastle keep fighting to climb the table. This weekend presents Newcastle with a winnable game in front of their home supporters against 16th-placed Southampton.
Newcastle have been tapped as slight favorites in this clash, but they will only take all three points if their key players are in top form. Southampton have under-performed this season, but they are capable of defeating the Toon on Tyneside this weekend. This should be a close match with plenty of action, and here are two players from each team that fans should keep an eye on this weekend.
Newcastle: Miguel Almiron
Miguel Almiron has been in fine form since joining the club at the end of January, but Newcastle fans are still waiting for his first goal. His performance against Leicester City was impressive and the Paraguayan star will look to build on that form. He seems to play his best football at St. James’ Park, so look for Almiron keep up the urgency and possibly score on Saturday.
Southampton: Pierre-Emile Hojberg
Pierre-Emile Hojberg is a key player for Southampton who spreads the ball around in midfield and recovers the ball well to build a counter-attack. Despite being a defensive midfielder, Hojberg has found the back of the net on four occasions this season, and he can certainly cause problems for Martin Dubravka from distance. Hojberg played well against Newcastle earlier this season and it would not be a surprise to see him emulate that good performance on Saturday.
Newcastle: Salomon Rondon
Salomon Rondon has been a top player for Newcastle this season, but his future is up in the air as Mike Ashley is reluctant to spend £16M on Rondon due to him being 30-years-old next season. Matches like this against a team that has conceded 54 goals is when Rondon needs to perform. He has nine league goals and is looking to break in to double figures starting on Saturday. With his future unclear, scoring goals will be the key to staying at Newcastle.
Southampton: Nathan Redmond
Nathan Redmond is the Ayoze Perez of Southampton. He is not always in the best form, but he is a game-changer when he performs well. Thus far this season, Redmond has scored five goals and bagged three assists for the Saints. Two of his five goals came in Southampton’s last match against Wolverhampton and this momentum could carry over against Newcastle.