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Southampton are set to host Newcastle United this Saturday at St Mary’s Stadium with both sides in desperate need of a win. The visitors will arrive on the south coast without a win yet to their name this season. The Magpies’ woes in front of goal have seen them fall to the foot of the Premier League table and Rafa Benitez is coming under increasing pressure in his job.
Things aren’t going a great deal better for the Saints either. Mark Hughes’ side have at least tasted victory once this season but only have six points on the board with nine matches played. Ahead of their meeting this weekend, both teams have only managed six Premier League goals and have each conceded 14 up to this point.
It is likely to be a tightly-contested battle at St Mary’s, and few would bet against it being a low scoring affair. One factor that could certainly add some drama to proceedings, though, is Chris Kavanagh’s appointment as referee for the match.
The Manchester-born official has taken charge of six top flight encounters so far this season, dealing out 19 yellow cards in the process, though, he is yet to give anyone their marching orders. On average, Kavanagh has made 3.17 bookings per game, which sees him rank eighth out of the 17 top flight referees to have presided over a game this season.
Whilst the 33-year-old is yet to show a red card this season, he has already pointed to the spot on numerous occasions. His average of 0.33 penalty awards per game sees him rank joint seventh with Anthony Taylor. Both sides may well have been made aware of Kavanagh’s propensity for awarding spot kicks ahead of Saturday’s clash and ought to make efforts to be particularly diligent when it comes to defending in their own penalty areas.
Whilst a penalty may well be given at some point, Kavanagh is generally likely to otherwise let the game flow. His record of 20.67 fouls per game sees him rank 14th out of the 17. Only Mike Dean, Andre Marriner and Simon Hooper have given less fouls per match so far this term.
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Kavanagh certainly isn’t one to punish every single tackle, which should come as welcome news to two such defensively-minded sides as Southampton and Newcastle. Kavanagh’s average of 0.57 fouls per tackle means that he comes in at 12th out of the 17.
One final factor to consider here is what Kavanagh’s appointment means for the home side. Certain referees arguably tend to lend the home team an advantage. So far this season, however, the visitors have triumphed in 50% of the matches that Kavanagh has overseen, with the home outfit tasting victory just 33% of the time. Whilst they’ll certainly be low on confidence given their recent form, the Magpies ought to take this stat as encouragement to attack on Saturday, but it also serves as a reminder that this is no time for the Saints to rest on their laurels.
