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Defensive trio back for Newcastle clash

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James Bree, Jan Bednarek and Duje Ćaleta-Car are all available for selection for Southampton’s Carabao Cup second leg semi-final clash with Newcastle as Nathan Jones once again highlighted the importance of utilising his full squad.

Southampton’s latest January acquisition, James Bree is available for his first match in a Saints shirt as Jones’s team travel to the North East, while Jan Bednarek is also back in contention after being cup tied at the weekend.

Amidst a busy period for Saints, Jones has been forced to rotate his squad frequently across club and league competition in recent weeks.

“We’ve had to use the squad because Newcastle have had the weekend off.

“To be able to [compete]: One, we’ve got to use the squad and two, we’ve got to be as athletic as we can.

“In the week it’s probably Lyanco that had to do two 90 minutes. Sékou Mara’s the next one. We’re not in the position where we’re having to look after people who have done two 90 minutes.

“We’ve got a full team; we’ve got a full squad. Now I’ve got a full quota to pick from.”

Duje Ćaleta-Car is also back after serving his one match suspension after picking up two yellow cards in the first leg at St Mary’s.