Newcastle United prop up the Premier League table after their latest home loss at the hands of Brighton at St James’s Park. The Magpies are 15/8 at BetVictor to be playing Championship football next term and just 9/1 to end the season with the wooden spoon.

United are now just the fourth team in top-flight history in English football to lose their first five home games of the season and the optimism of the first 45 minutes of Old Trafford now looks something of a mirage.

Yes, United had 27 attempts at goal without scoring and Brighton scored with their only shot on target until injury time, but the bottom line is the hosts rarely threatened and it has to go down as a disappointing performance.

The Magpies travel to Southampton on Saturday in a massive game for both clubs. The Saints outplayed Bournemouth for large parts of the game at the Vitality Stadium, but they missed gilt-edged opportunities. Mark Hughes’s side have now failed to score in four successive PL games, so you could argue they are due a goal.

United are 14/5 at BetVictor to take the points with the Saints 23/20 and the draw at 23/10.

Top-of-the-table Middlesbrough entertain Rotherham on Tuesday looking to build on an excellent result at Hillsborough on Friday evening. Boro are 4/1 to win the title at BetVictor and evens from 5/4 to be back playing Premier League football next term.

Tony Pulis’s side are 4/11 to beat the Millers at the Riverside midweek and they need to pick up maximum points from a side who are on the fringe of the drop zone after dropping two valuable points to a late Bolton equaliser at the New York Stadium on Saturday.

Sunderland picked up three points at Shrewsbury on Saturday – a much-needed win given the strong pace that Portsmouth are setting at the top.

The Black Cats are on the road again tomorrow when they travel to South Yorkshire and a meeting with promotion-rivals Doncaster Rovers.

Rovers are marginal favourites at 7/5 with Sunderland 15/8 and the draw at 5/2. Barnsley remain 6/4 title favourites with Pompey 9/4 and the Black Cats 11/4. Jack Ross was delighted with his side’s win in Shropshire and the League is very much a marathon rather than a sprint, but three points from the Keepmoat would be an outstanding result.

Hartlepool United entertain Sutton United back in the National League on Saturday having qualified for the first round of the FA Cup via a single goal defeat of Kidsgrove.

Hartlepool are 31/20 with BetVictor to keep the points against a Sutton side who came from a goal down to beat Wealdstone in the FA Cup at the weekend. The U’s – who have played a game less - are a couple of points behind Pools in the table so this is a game between two side with realistic chances of promotion.

The U’s are 1/ 2 to end the campaign in the minimum of a play-off spot (top seven) with Matthew Bates’s side 2s. Those prices will not be available if the hosts keep the points at Victoria Park.

For all your sporting odds go to BetVictor.com.