Newcastle v Southampton: Prediction, Tips and Odds 

Southampton are back in the Premier League after a 12-month absence and face a daunting first task with a long trip to Newcastle.

The Saints are many people's favourites to be relegated after winning promotion via the Championship play-offs.

Newcastle, meanwhile, have their eyes on a return to the top four after a disappointing 2023/24 campaign which saw them miss out on European football.

Newcastle v Southampton betting tips and predictions

Newcastle to win & Over 3.5 Goals - 6/4

Saints boss Martin is bracing himself for accusations of tactical naivety but has insisted that his players try to play their way to survival this season, starting at Newcastle.

With an average of almost 66 percent possession, no side in the Championship kept the ball more than Southampton last season, with Martin preaching a high-risk, passing game from front to back which worked out in the end with promotion achieved.

However, success came at an obvious cost with Saints finishing fourth in the table having conceded more goals than 13 other sides in their section.

They got away with the gambles and the risks against lesser opposition, but Saints fans are rightly concerned that against better Premier League sides they could come unstuck.

And if we know anything about Newcastle is that they are built on aggression - with and without the ball - alongside pace and directness, and they have goals in them from all areas.

It would be a major surprise if the season-opener on Tyneside didn't produce plenty of goals, and the chances are that Newcastle will be scoring the majority of those.

Eddie Howe's side won eight of their first nine home matches last season, kicking off the campaign with an exhilarating 5-1 drubbing of Aston Villa.

They would go on to lose just two of their 19 home fixtures and scored at least three goals in nine matches on their own patch. In six games against the three promoted sides - Burnley, Sheffield United and Luton - they scored 24 goals.

Martin would counter that they didn't win all six, taking just one point off Luton, but the Magpies should relish this fixture against a Southampton side which hasn't been obviously strengthened over the summer.

Southampton Goal Before 71:00 - 5/6

Saints do carry a threat themselves and if Luton could go to St James' Park and score four times in a 4-4 draw last term, then Martin's visitors can find the net.

Indeed, Newcastle kept only two clean sheets in their final 10 home fixtures last season and Southampton have been finding the net in pre-season against opponents of the calibre of Bordeaux, Montpellier and Lazio.

Chile international Ben Brereton Diaz was a Premier League goalscorer last term for Sheffield United and prolific before that with Blackburn and offers a focal point in attack.

Adam Armstrong scored 24 league goals last season and he will be eager to score against one of his former employers.

Southampton scored plenty of goals last season and Newcastle shipped too many, 62 in total, more than the likes of Fulham or Everton, so it wouldn't come as too big a surprise to see the away side net at St James' Park.

Jacob Murphy anytime scorer - 12/5

Howe has got plenty of decisions to make all over the pitch but it looks as though Jacob Murphy has nailed down one of the two wide berths after an impressive pre-season.

The 29-year-old winger scored four goals in the off-season season and produced a number of electrifying displays to give him the edge over Harvey Barnes.

Murphy scored three goals last term including in the final match, a 4-2 win at Brentford, but injuries and competition meant he only started 14 Premier League games in total.

He will be a big player for Howe this season and can start by taking one of the umpteen chances the Toon will create against soft-centred opponents Southampton.

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Newcastle v Southampton odds

Newcastle - 4/11
Draw - 17/4
Southampton - 7/1

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.