Southampton has maintained five clean sheets in a row in all competitions. This weekend Jamie Vardy and Co. will be hoping to break the streak as the Saints make the visit to the champions, Leicester.
Last weekend, the Saints defeated West Ham 3-0 at the Olympic Stadium. West Ham looked quite shaky again and Charlie Austin was able to find the net in yet another fixture. Dušan Tadić found the back of the net in the 62nd minute and James Ward-Prowse added a third goal in injury time. The Saints back lined looked strong as Virgil van Dijk dominated in the air.
At Old Trafford last week, Leicester lost 4-1 to Manchester United. The Foxes conceded the four goals in the first half, becoming first Premier League champions to do so. Leicester were pulled open at the back having conceded goals from corners. Midweek however, Leicester beat Porto at home in the Champions League. Islam Slimani netted again taking his tally to three goals in four matches for the Foxes, in all competitions.
While Saints supporters would love to see Austin continue his goal scoring streak against Leicester, it is likely that Saints manager would prefer to see his dominant defense come out at the King Power Stadium and limit the attacking options that Leicester have. The key match up for this fixture will be Virgil van Dijk vs. Islam Slimani.
Virgil van Dijk has been the key to the Southampton back line this season. He has proved his aerial capabilities and his touch on the ball on numerous occasions. According to the Southampton site, van Dijk currently has 85% pass completion and 71% aerial duels won. While he does have the ability to distribute the ball, his defensive strengths with be more important for the Southampton backline when they face Vardy, Slimani, and Mahrez this weekend.
The Algerian forward Islam Slimani, who Leicester signed this summer, has looked strong for the Foxes so far. He has been linking up well with fellow Algerian Riyad Mahrez and has been scoring goals, like his header against Porto.
Last season, Southampton drew Leicester 2-2 at St. Mary’s in October before losing 1-0 in April away.
Saints boss Puel is expecting quite a challenging match this weekend against the champions away.
"“I think we will find the same team as last year, with physical play and direct play… Their players in front can make the difference every time. We can see from their last game in the Champions League that they are a good, strong team,” Puel said."
Next: Hammered: Southampton Roll to Easy 3-0 Victory Over West Ham
Match Info:
Date: Sunday, October 2
Kick Off: 9:15 a.m. ET
Location: Leicester, England
Stadium: King Power Stadium
TV Info: CNBC
Live Stream: NBC Sports