Southampton make the trip to the North East on Saturday and will be looking to respond to their embarrassing 9-0 loss to Manchester United when they face Newcastle.
With potentially 11 first-team players out of the game, fans will not be expecting much in terms of a result but will want to see some fight from Ralph Hasenhuttl and his men.
If there is one glimmer of hope for Saints it is that Newcastle are on a torrid run of their own at this vital stage of the season, with manager Steve Bruce still struggling to win over Mapgies supporters.
Ahead of Saturday, we spoke to Newcastle fan and Newcastle Toons site expert Carson A. Merk to get his thoughts:
Q1 – What have your fans made of the season so far?
A) A boatload of frustration. Steve Bruce wasn’t able to fully win over the fans in 2019-20 and this season has been even worse for him. He guided the club to their worst stretch of results in over five years and doesn’t seem to know how to get the most out of this roster. There have been calls for “Bruce Out” for months and the fans are justified in their displeasure.