It’s an advantage for Newcastle United ahead of their Carabao Cup semi-final second-leg tie with Southampton.
Joelinton struck in the second half to give Eddie Howe’s side a 1-0 win at St. Marys to give the Magpies the edge in their bid to reach Wembley.
And whilst United may have one foot in the final, they can’t afford to show any complacency against a Southampton side looking to cause an upset.
-
Form Guide
Having been knocked out of the Emirates FA Cup against Sheffield Wednesday in the third round, Newcastle were left without a game at the weekend.
The 1-0 win on the south coast seven days ago saw Nick Pope keep a tenth clean sheet in a row – with his 16 across all competitions more than anyone else across the top European leagues.
Before their first leg win, the Magpies were held to a goalless draw at Crystal Palace and a lack of goals had been a concern – with five wins in their last nine games across all competitions.
It’s been 24 years since Newcastle were last in a cup final – and tonight presents them the ideal opportunity to put an end to that run.
Southampton, meanwhile, booked their place in the last 16 of the Emirates FA Cup on Saturday after a 2-1 win over Championship side Blackpool as they returned to winning ways.
Nathan Jones rang the changes with tonight’s second leg in mind, but a brace from Romain Perraud saw the Saints manage to secure the win over the Seasiders.
A positive for the Saints has been that their away form has been better than their form in front of their own fans, and they will be looking to cause an upset.
Team news
Eddie Howe confirmed that Emil Krafth and Matt Targett are the only players ruled out through injury for Tuesday’s second leg, with Jonjo Shelvey also bound to be missing as he completes his move to Nottingham Forest.
Having joined from Everton, Anthony Gordon will miss out due to being cup-tied.
For Saints, Armel Bella-Kotchap and Theo Walcott made their return from injury during the win over Blackpool and hope to be involved tonight.
Duje Caleta-Car is available again after serving his one-match suspension having seen red in the first leg for two bookable offences.
-
What the managers say
Eddie Howe: “I’ve drilled this into the players: ‘This game is by no means over. This tie is not over.’ It’s very much in the balance. We’re going to need a top performance and we’re going to need the crowd with us from minute one until the end.”
Nathan Jones: “What we have to do is be the best versions of ourselves. That’s what we know we have to do; we have to have a game plan. We have to be good and we have to execute it.”
-
Predicted line-ups
Magpies: Pope; Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn; Longstaff, Guimaraes, Willock; Almiron, Isak, Joelinton.
Saints: Bazunu; Walker-Peters, Lyanco, Salisu, Perraud; Lavia, Alcaraz; Armstrong, Ward-Prowse, Orsic; Mara.
Ones to watch
Aleksander Isak made the difference after coming off the bench in the first leg and will provide Eddie Howe with a headache in who to lead the line from the start. The Swede changed the game at St. Mary’s as he looks to return to form after returning from injury. Isak provided the assist for Joelinton’s goal whilst also going close himself late on to add a second.
Romain Perraud marked his return to the starting lineup on Saturday in style – scoring both goals as Saints saw off Blackpool in the FA Cup. It wasn’t just the goals that saw Perraud deliver a great performance, with 427 passes completed and creating ten chances for his teammates. His performance would have given Nathan Jones a headache in how to include him from the off tonight.
Match Details
The game is being played at St. James Park, Newcastle. The game is scheduled to kick off at 20:00 GMT.
Those watching in the UK can tune in to watch live on Sky Sports Main Event from 19:00. Commentary will also be provided by talkSPORT and local BBC Radio for those unable to watch on TV.