Southampton vs Newcastle: predictions and betting tips on the first semi-final match of the EFL Cup on January 24, 2023
On January 24, St Mary’s Stadium (Southampton) will host the first semi-final match of the EFL Cup, in which Southampton will compete with Newcastle. The battle will start at 21:00 CET.
Southampton
The club is in a critical situation in the Premier League. In January, the team finally managed to win there, but in general the state of things remains extremely difficult. Many other teams in such conditions, even in the UK, would have “dropped” the rest of the tournaments and focused on the struggle for survival. Nevertheless, “the Saints” appreciate the cup traditions and, perhaps, it is their character that affects everything nowadays. They became the main creators of sensation in the quarter-finals, when they managed to beat Manchester City at St. Mary’s Stadium. Moreover, even Pep Guardiola agreed that the 2-0 defeat of his team is more than fair, paying no attention to the fact that the line-up of the guests was far from optimal – with Ortega at the gate and Phillips, Palmer and Julian Alvarez in the field. To tell the truth, the following opponent is unlikely to be the same.
Newcastle
The team made a powerful breakthrough in 2022. It started that season in the status of an almost undisputed outsider of the Premier League. But Howe was able to do his best to leave “the Magpies” in the English elite division. And nowadays, only few doubt that his wards, who have repeated the historic run without defeats, will be able to return to the Champions League at the end of the season in the Premier League. “The Black and Whites” hold their position in the top 4 in a pretty secure way, although, it goes without saying that it’s too early to relax. That is a precise desire to maintain positions there that can explain the FA Cup defeat in the match with modest Sheffield Wednesday. This time the tournament is different and there is only one step left to the final. Thus, it is hard to believe that the coaching staff will decide to neglect the semi-final stage, even being conscious of the fact that there will be another match at the home arena.
The statistics of head-to-head matches
Newcastle has lost only 1 of their 11 previous matches to Southampton. At the very beginning of the season, “the Magpies” defeated “the Saints” with a 4-1 score at the same stadium, but that happened within the Premier League.
Predictions
Bookmakers believe that the class of the guests will be decisive. We bet that they will be able to win in the semi-final even in the away match (odd: 1.85).