Southampton v Newcastle: Two Changes

By Anthony Marshall - Newcastle United Managing Editor

At St. Mary's Stadium

Rafa Benitez has made two changes to his Newcastle United starting line-up for Saturday's Barclays Premier League fixture at Southampton (3pm kick-off).

In-form striker Aleksandar Mitrovic - who has three goals in his last two games - is recalled to the Magpies' side along with Spanish forward Ayoze Perez.

The pair replace Papiss Cisse and Cheick Tiote, who drop down to the substitutes' bench at St. Mary's Stadium.

United are expected to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation with goalkeeper Karl Darlow behind a back four of Daryl Janmaat, Steven Taylor, Chancel Mbemba and Vurnon Anita.

Stand-in captain Jonjo Shelvey will be partnered by nine-goal leading scorer Georginio Wijnaldum in the middle of the park, with a trio of Andros Townsend, Perez and Moussa Sissoko ahead of them.

And they will be tasked with supplying the ammunition for Mitrovic, who has eight goals to his name so far this term.

Joining Tiote and Cisse on the substitutes' bench, there is a place for fit-again defender Paul Dummett, who has missed the last five weeks with a hamstring injury.

Gabriel Obertan, Siem de Jong, Jamaal Lascelles and Freddie Woodman complete the replacements.

Southampton (4-2-3-1): Fraser Forster; Cuco Martina, Virgil van Dijk, Jose Fonte (c), Ryan Bertrand; Victor Wanyama, Jordy Clasie; Shane Long, Sadio Mane, Dusan Tadic; Graziano Pelle

Substitutes: Maarten Stekelenburg, Cedric Soares, Maya Yoshida, Oriol Romeu, James Ward-Prowse, Jay Rodriguez, Charlie Austin

Newcastle United (4-2-3-1): Karl Darlow; Daryl Janmaat, Steven Taylor, Chancel Mbemba, Vurnon Anita; Jonjo Shelvey (c), Georginio Wijnaldum; Andros Townsend, Ayoze Perez, Moussa Sissoko; Aleksandar Mitrovic

Substitutes: Freddie Woodman, Paul Dummett, Jamaal Lascelles, Cheick Tiote, Siem de Jong, Gabriel Obertan, Papiss Cisse

Referee: Robert Madley (West Yorkshire)