Newcastle United know that they can take a step closer to Premier League survival when they host fellow strugglers Southampton in a potentially season-defining clash at St James' Park on Saturday, on the back of a 2-0 defeat against Liverpool at Anfield last weekend.

Considering the form the Reds and their formidable front three were in the match was something of a free hit for the Magpies, with results elsewhere ensuring they stayed two points clear of the drop zone even though they were beaten.

The clash against Saints, which will be refereed by Andre Marriner, is the opposite of a free hit though, with their opponents lying one place and one point below them in the top flight standings.

With 18th-placed Crystal Palace facing Chelsea and 19th-placed Stoke City hosting Manchester City at the Britannia Stadium, Rafa Benitez's men look to have the chance to give themselves some much-needed breathing space between them and the bottom three in the bid to stay up – as long as they can beat Mauricio Pellegrino's side.

The south coast outfit have only won two of their 13 Premier League matches on the road this term, and the hosts will certainly take some solace in that fact considering they have the third worst record on their own patch during the current campaign – only Southampton's and bottom club West Bromwich Albion's are worse.

Benitez will be considering making some changes to the XI that lost at Anfield as the Spaniard's 5-4-1 experiment failed to pay off, and he will regret it if he fails to make a couple of important alterations to his team.

Here are two big changes the 57-year-old must make to his Newcastle side when they host Southampton…

Matt Ritchie for Christian Atsu

Newcastle winger Matt Ritchie celebrates his goal vs Manchester United

Benitez decided to try and stop Liverpool with a 5-4-1 system that saw him start Jacob Murphy and Christian Atsu on the wings with Dwight Gayle up top, but the Spaniard should look to revert to a more familiar formation against Southampton.

4-4-1-1 has been one of his preferred systems this season and if he uses that then Ritchie must come in on the right-hand side in place of Atsu, with six assists to his name in 26 Premier League appearances during the current campaign.

The Scotland international also scored his side's winning goal in their previous home match against Manchester United as the Tyneside outfit picked up a rare win on their own patch, and Newcastle need that goal threat and general quality against Saints this weekend, too.

Joselu for Jacob Murphy

Newcastle striker Joselu reacts to missed chance vs Burnley

When it gets to this stage of the season with a huge clash at home to fellow relegation strugglers, Newcastle need to step up and attack from the start and bringing Joselu into the starting line-up for Jacob Murphy would certainly allow them to do that.

The Spaniard hasn't started in the Premier League since January following a disappointing run of form, but he should come into the XI – either just ahead of or alongside Dwight Gayle – against a Southampton centre-back pairing of Jack Stephens and Wesley Hoedt that have often looked shaky when it comes to defending aerial balls.

While Murphy would bring pace out wide, two of the south coast outfit's strongest players feature at full-back in the form of Cedric Soares and Ryan Bertrand, and the Magpies will probably be more likely to get success through the middle with the 6ft 4in Joselu.

Do you agree, Newcastle fans? Let us know below.