Southampton: Hughes and Saints not underestimating Newcastle

Southampton manager Mark Hughes says that he and his players are not underestimating the threat that Newcastle will pose them this weekend.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference today, the Welshman emphasised the fact that Rafa Benitez’s squad still contains a lot of quality that could potentially hurt Saints come Saturday afternoon.

The Magpies have been in dismal form so far this season but have had to contend with a tough start and a host of games against the top-six sides.

On their upcoming opponents, Hughes said:

"“There’s a danger that people underestimate Newcastle at this moment in time. The fixture computer hasn’t been very kind to them if you look at the games they’ve faced. I think they’ve faced Man United, Man City, Tottenham, Arsenal. They played Chelsea as well in the games they’ve had. Not one of those clubs has beaten them by more than one clear goal, so that suggests that it’s quite an accomplished side. They went to Old Trafford and take a two-nil lead, so you see they’ve got good potential in the side. That’s the message that I’ve been relaying back to the players.”"

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After a poor start to the campaign, the first signs of pressure have appeared against Hughes and recent reports even linked former Monaco manager Leonardo Jardim with a move to St Mary’s.

Some positive signs were evident in Saints’ 0-0 draw with Bournemouth though and the Saints players put in a battling display to end a run of three straight defeats.

If either side manage to win the game at the weekend, the victorious side will likely receive a huge boost. With Newcastle currently bottom of the table and Saints in 16th place, the match provides a real opportunity to make up some ground on the teams above them.

The previous results for both sides could also see each team come into the clash in different moods. Whilst Saints gained a point, Newcastle slumped to a 1-0 home defeat to Brighton as their season reached a new low altogether.

Benitez’s side could be helped by the return to fitness of striker Salomon Rondon. The Venezuelan has recovered from a thigh injury and taken part in full training this week, whilst defender Ciaran Clark could return to the squad.

Saints had slight concerns about midfielder Mario Lemina after he limped off at Bournemouth but Hughes confirmed that the Gabon international is set to be involved unless he has a reoccurence of his problem.