Newcastle hold a 1-0 advantage over Southampton heading into the second-leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final. George Gamble picks out a bet for the clash.
Newcastle United’s early exit from the FA Cup has probably been a positive considering they now have the chance to make a League Cup final for the first time in 47 years. It would mark a huge step in their plan to become one of the big hitters in English football and they will be confident they can overcome Southampton on home turf, especially as they already lead 1-0 on aggregate.
The Magpies are efficient but it’s their defensive organisation that deserves the plaudits. In ten Premier League home matches this season, they have kept an impressive seven clean sheets and it serves as the foundation of every good thing they have done.
Meanwhile, Southampton have struggled to create chances and the ones that they do, they don’t take. In fact, away from home, only Nottingham Forest have averaged fewer shots on target per match and up against this brick wall of Newcastle, the Saints are unlikely to create a plethora of clear cut chances.
Kick-off time: 20:00 GMT, Tuesday
TV Channel: Sky Sports Football
However, with a 1-0 advantage, Eddie Howe’s men don’t need to go chasing the game, they will be content to control the match and hope they can grab a goal and make an already uphill battle even tougher for Southampton.
Goals haven't exactly been free flowing at St. James Park this season, with just 2.3 goals per game being produced on average. But it remains to be seen if the visitors can open this game up by grabbing an early goal. That seems unlikely though considering they are yet to score a single goal inside the opening 15 minutes against Premier League opposition.
With goals looking scarce, the obvious choice is to look towards the unders and UNDER 2.5 GOALS is priced up at 9/10 across most bookies.
This looks very generous given the game state and makes plenty of appeal.
Newcastle v Southampton best bets and score prediction
- 2pts Under 2.5 Goals at 9/10 (Betfair, bet365)
Score prediction: Newcastle 1-0 Southampton (Sky Bet odds: 5/1)
Odds correct at 1340 GMT (30/01/23)
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