Caretaker manager John Carver once again takes charge of Newcastle United - this time as they prepare to host an in-form Southampton at St James' Park.

Since the resignation of Alan Pardew, and his subsequent move to Crystal Palace, Carver has been living his boyhood dream as he stands in the dugout and manages this Newcastle side. Sadly for him, he is not in control of the situation, and does not know when his reign could suddenly come to an end, as other potential options such as Remi Garde wait in the wings.

"They deserve to be where they are"

- John Carver

Carver knows he has his work cut out with the visit of Southampton on Saturday, and this week he has had nothing but praise for Ronald Koeman's side, who sit third in the table and are seeking a Champions League spot. “They deserve to be where they are. To be sitting third in the Premier League after what they lost in the summer is quite incredible. The recruitment under Les Reed has been fantastic. He’s done a great job behind the scenes. They have replaced the players with better players in my opinion", Carver said.

Carver must turn his attention to Newcastle's current problems, however, as one win in eight games - across all competitions - is not a situation the club wants to be. Despite the fact that they are still tenth, this negative run of results needs to be stopped - and fast. Just seven points separate them from the relegation zone, and Carver knows that the club must register three points soon - irrespective of their off-field, managerial worries.

For Southampton, on the other hand, things could not be more positive in the camp after consistently defying the critics' predictions from the onset of this season. Koeman has masterminded result after result, and defied all expectations. Indeed, his side sit third in the Premier League, after it was suggested by some, after losing a number of talented players, that they could be involved in a relegation battle.

Now, the Champions League places are in sight, and it seems difficult to suggest that Southampton cannot push for a spot. It was widely believed that Koeman's side would fall off the pace a little, and indeed it looked that way for the moment as they slipped to consecutive defeats against Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United - including a loss to Sheffield United in the cup. Louis van Gaal's United saw last week that the Saints do not mean to be pushed out of the race, as a 1-0 victory for Koeman's side meant they leapfrogged United into third. One this is for sure: Southampton will fancy their chances at St James' Park on Saturday.

Newcastle will be without a number of key players. Despite returning to training, Mehdi Abeid and Siem de Jong will not be fit enough to face Southampton, while Jonas Gutierrez is not yet ready for a return after recovering from testicular cancer.

Meanwhile, Senegal striker Cisse and Ivory Coast midfielder Cheick Tiote will be absent with their respective coutnries playing at the AFCON.

Southampton will be without the key trio of Morgan Schneiderlin, Toby Alderweireld and Victor Wanyama, although midfielder Jack Cork could feature after recovering from an ankle injury.

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About the author
Ben Johnson
Ben; 21; author and journalist.