Back to the English Premier League tonight, and it's the bottom of the table where we focus our efforts when Newcastle host Southhampton at St James park.

While Newcastle's form hasn't been too bad on 2018, with most of their recent losses coming against the bigger clubs, they still find themselves just two points above the drop. Southampton fair no better, just a solitary point between them and life in the Championship.

Surprising to some, Newcastle have collected 10 points in their last 9 games, which is survival like form. Southampton have done much the same, with 9 points in their last 10 games including a gutsy draw against Tottenham last month. The stage is set for a huge relegation clash tonight, and while I give Benitez's Newcastle the edge, Southampton will have a say in this.

Accusations of bullying against Newcastle's U23 Coach, while serious, seem to have been dealt with accordingly and the one key factor tonight is, how much of a distraction to the squad was it, given at least one first team player (albeit 2 appearances) was let go in Yasin Ben El-Mhanni.

The Prediction

A first half goal here is paying a generous $1.50 and this is where we will go. Sure the game will be cagey, but that is not to say that both teams score and concede at a rate that warrants shoes some value here tonight.