Newcastle United vs. Southampton 8/28/21 Premier League Soccer Pick, Odds, and Predictions

Newcastle United and Southampton face off on Saturday in an English Premier League showdown at St. James Park. The last time these two teams faced off was in February of 2021 and it was Newcastle that was able to come away with the 3-2 victory. 

Newcastle United hasn’t looked great in their first two games of the EPL season. Newcastle opened up their season with a 4-2 loss against West Ham United. Newcastle actually opened up the scoring in the 5th minute with a goal by Callum Wilson, but then the defense collapsed as they were defeated. In the last game against Aston Villa, it was the offense that really struggled giving up two goals. It was a goal in the first-half stoppage time that really seemed to break the back of the team. Newcastle had nine shots, but only one shot went on goal, and that didn’t find the back of the net. In this game, if Newcastle wants any chance the defense is going to need to step up. 

On the other side of this matchup is Southampton who have picked up one point so far this season. Southampton opened up their season with a loss against Everton 3-1 before playing to a draw against Manchester United in their last game. Southampton opened up the scoring 30th minute before allowing Manchester United to score a goal in the 55th minute. Southampton only had 36 percent of the possession and only three shots on goal in that last game against Manchester United. Southampton in this game needs to try and do a better job of keeping possession and controlling the game that way. 

I expect both teams are going to focus on the defense in this game, and goals are going to be very hard to come by in this game. Look for this game to stay under the total, and a 0-0 game wouldn’t be all that shocking.