This is a must win game for both sides but for differing reasons, a win for Saints would keep hopes of Europe alive but could virtually condemn the Toon to relegation if Norwich City should win at Crystal Palace.

On paper this should be an easy win for Saints after all they have won the last three Premier League games against Newcastle scoring ten goal and conceding none, add to that the fact that historically the visitors have only won 1 League game in the last 44 years down here and it has all the makings of a home win.

However as we know from our battles against relegation in the past it is at this stage of the season that teams that have been dire for 32 games suddenly turn into World beaters, look at Leicester City , at this time last year they looked like certainties for relegation sitting bottom of the league on 25 points, if you had to bet where they would be now you would have said in the Championship, not about to win the Premier title.

So Newcastle will come down here with Rafa Benitez hoping to inspire his troops to similar levels of effort and in doing so turning this from a great Geordie disaster into the Great Escape.

But in ther way stand a Saints squad virtually at full strength, Steven Davis is a key player for Saints but he will miss the game through injury, however this might work in Saints favour in that it could make Ronald Koeman put out a far more attacking side that he might otherwise have done.

He still does have the option of having a workmanlike trio in the middle as he could play Wanyama and Romeu with Jordy Clasie in the third position sitting in front, however he could opt to make the third central position more offensive than defensive.

He has a couple of options in doing that, he could use Sadio Mane in that position and give him a licence to roam, or he could use Dusan Tadic and give him a licence to get the ball and spray it about.

Either way it would enable him to use a fourth attacking option on the pitch.

If Koeman opts for a straight back four with hopefully Ryan Bertrand and Cedric Soares as full backs to utilise their attacking strengths, then I think he might play Wanyama and Clasie in the centre with Mane in front, that would enable him to use the returning Shane Long and Dusan Tadic out wide.

Up front although Charlie Austin and indeed Shane Long are both fit, I don't expect either to replace the Italian who is in the team on merit at the moment and in goal scoring form.

The fact that Jay Rodriguez has not yet been mentioned shows what an array of attacking talent we have to hand.

But all that is worthless if we don't keep it tight at the back and we have to make sure that the Toon Army leave St Mary's still wit the worst away record in the Premier aside from Aston Villa, indeed the warning signs are there, Villa got one of their six away points this season down here and likewise fellow relegation zone dwellers Sunderland picked up a point and very nearly three recently and both of these results could cost us dearly come the final reckoning, so we do not want to make it a third poor return from the bottom three.

So for Ronald Koeman the instructions are simple, keep it tight at the back, and then put them to the sword, a game plan that in several games we have failed to do, but when we do it is to great effect.

All we can do now is win each game as it comes and try and make sure that at the end of the season we are not looking back with regret.

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