Newcastle will be hoping to capitalise on their 1-0 first leg victory at St Mary’s as its their turn to host Southampton in the Carabao Cup Semi Final Second Leg at St James’ Park.
A late strike from Joelinton was enough to seal the victory for the Magpies in the first leg which contained chances for both sides and even saw a red card for the hosts. A place in the final against Manchester United or Nottingham Forest is up for grabs but if we are being honest, it will likely be the Red-Devils who will be the side the winner of Tuesday night’s fixture will face due to Manchester United winning 3-0 in their first leg.
Newcastle haven’t been the most prolific side in front of goal over recent weeks, Crystal Palace held them to a frustrating draw and it looked like Fulham were going to do the same but thanks to Alexander Isak, they managed to get the win. It looked like it was going to be another frustrating night at St Mary’s on Tuesday night for Newcastle.
The visitors squandered a number of opportunities which should have sealed the tie off and they can consider themselves unlucky that they had a goal ruled out by VAR. Perseverance paid off though as Alexander Isak and Joelinton combined in the 73rd minute to seal an important advantage for the return leg at SJP. Jacob Murphy did give an amusing farewell to Duje Caleta-Car after the Saints player was given his marching orders.
Victory on Tuesday night will seal a spot in the final and regardless if it is Manchester United or Nottingham Forest who joins them, the Magpies will be confident that they can end a successful season with a trophy and end a drought which dates back to their 1954-55 FA Cup triumph. Even though their defeat to Sheffield Wednesday will be disappointing for Eddie Howe and Co, they will see it as a blessing in disguise as it means that they have had more time to focus on their clash with Southampton who unlike their visitors to SJP this week, had to disrupt their Semi Final focus for the visit of Blackpool in the FA Cup Fourth Round.
A double from Romain Perraud sealed a narrow 2-1 victory for the Saints and secured them a spot in the hat for Round Five as they still fight for glory in both domestic cup competitions. Victory at SJP for Southampton on Tuesday night will make them only third team in history to qualify for the final of the EFL Cup after losing the first leg. Stoke City and Arsenal being the other two sides to complete this achievement in 1972 and 1987 respectively.
Southampton have only managed to keep one clean sheet in their last 15 games in all competitions so their fans making the 640 mile round trip up to Newcastle will be feeling more pessimistic than optimistic in their chances of heading back down south with a positive outcome. For the optimistic fans out there, they have recorded away victories at Everton and Crystal Palace in 2023 so its not all doom and gloom but Newcastle are unbeaten in their last six home matches against Southampton.
Newcastle Team News: There is no fresh injury concerns for Eddie Howe’s side so he could field the same eleven that won at St Mary’s. Callum Wilson has now failed to find the net in nine successive games so questions will be asked whether Alexander Isak will take his place in the starting XI who has looked promising over the recent weeks. New signing Anthony Gordon is cup tied.
Southampton Team News: Caleta-Car will be available for selection on Tuesday night as the Croatian defender served his suspension in the FA Cup fixture against Blackpool. Moussa Djenepo will be hit and miss following his heavy collision with Nick Pope in the closing stages of the first half of the first leg. Alex McCarthy, Juan Larios and Valentino Livramento remain on the injury list. James Bree could make his debut on Tuesday night but that depends on Nathan Jones and whether he decides to make drastic changes to the side that kept Newcastle quiet for the majority of the first leg. James Ward-Prowse, Gavin Bazunu and Carlos Alcaraz are expecting to be playing some part of the fixture.
Sutty’s Match Prediction Back on home soil, I cant see Newcastle losing this tie if I’m honest. Despite Southampton just being one goal down, I can’t see them overpowering the Magpies defence which has been solid all season. Eddie Howe has got his side clinical when it comes to counter-attacks and that will play into their favour with the Saints pushing for the goals needed to win this tie. Neither side will be wanting to risk penalties so they will be looking to see the game out within the 90minutes, for that reason I’m going for a Newcastle win and securing their place in the final at Wembley. Score Prediction being Newcastle United 2 Southampton 0.
@jsuttonwrites
29.01.23