RYDER’S BET

TODAY represents a brilliant chance for Newcastle to get some points in the bag.

Southampton are a shadow of the team they were a few seasons ago and, with only two wins on the road this term, they are ripe for the taking.

We could say this is a relegation six-pointer but with only seven points separating Brighton (10th) and Stoke (19th) then half of the games in the league would fall into that category.

Newcastle will still need to put a shift in to outplay the Saints and there is no one better for that than Matt Ritchie. After his winner against Manchester United many were hoping he could get back into some of the goalscoring form he had in the Championship.

With only eight games left his chances need to be taken if he is to help his team out more. Ritchie is 9/1 to score first or 17/5 to score at any point in the match.

Will we again see Dwight Gayle up front? The speedster seems to have regained Rafa Benitez’s trust – two goals against Bournemouth must surely have helped with that – but he will have to keep banging them in if he wants to stay in the good books.

Now is certainly not the time to take his foot off the gas.

Gayle is available at 5/1 to score first or 80/1 to bag a hat-trick.

I will be on the home win and over three goals in the match, which is marked up at 9/1. Newcastle to beat Southampton at 13/8.