The international break has concluded and this weekend Southampton will hope to maintain their undefeated streak as they host Burnley at St. Mary’s.
Last time out, the Saints drew Leicester 0-0 at the King Power Stadium. The match was an entertaining draw in which the Saints’ forward Charlie Austin had a few opportunities to score but was unable to finish. The clean sheet was a positive to be taken out of this match since it was the sixth consecutive clean sheet for the Saints in all competitions.
Burnley lost 1-0 to Arsenal at home on the last match day. The Clarets showed strong defensive play but were unlucky as they conceded a controversial goal in the 93rd minute.
Most would tip Southampton to win this weekend and the supporters should be quite confident. In order to seal the victory, Austin will likely need to find his form again and score a goal or two. The key match up for this fixture will be Charlie Austin vs. Micheal Keane.
Charlie Austin has contributed a good majority of Southampton’s goals thus far this season, with five in all competitions. The Saints’ faithful will hope he can contribute further against Burnley. He is Southampton’s biggest threat in front of goal and will be ready to prove his capabilities again against Burnley after the international break.
Burnley defender Micheal Keane was part of The Clarets’ strong defense against Arsenal and impressed on quite a few occasions. He will be extremely important for Burnley this week in their efforts to maintain a clean sheet.
The Saints have lost only once in their previous 14 league fixtures at home against the Clarets.
Saints boss Claude Puel says the team must remain focused as they return from the international break.
"“It’s important to find that great spirit and dynamic we had before the international break again…The first game is very important and it’s difficult to keep good concentration…For us though, during the international break we had 15 players which is a lot but it is a good thing because it shows we have good players,” Puel said"
Lassner’s Pick: Southampton 3-0 Burnley
Match Info:
Date: Sunday, October 16
Kick Off: 11:00 a.m. ET
Location: Southampton, England
Stadium: St. Mary’s Stadium
TV Info: NBC Sports Network
Live Stream: NBC Sports