After an exciting midweek EFL Cup quarter-final win at Arsenal, Southampton are set to face Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park this weekend.
Last weekend, the Saints defeated Everton 1-0 on former Saints’ manager Ronald Koeman’s return to St. Mary’s. The highlight of the match for many Saints supporters was the performance of debutant and academy graduate Josh Sims. Sims looked lively going forward and assisted Charlie Austin’s winning goal in the first minute of the match.
Crystal Palace lost to Swansea last week in a nine goal thriller. Having been down 3-1, Palace took the lead to only lose 5-4 after conceding twice in injury time. Palace are sitting right above the relegation zone having lost the last six matches.
In the current form that Southampton are in, this is a winnable match for the Saints away from home. With Dušan Tadić still possibly out, the key for this match will likely be Austin or Sims again, if he gets the start.
👏#SaintsFC midfielder @simsjosh12 has been nominated for #PL2's Player of the Month award: https://t.co/OFIUxGadzN
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) December 1, 2016
Besides shining against Everton, Sims also looked very strong when he came on as a substitute against Arsenal in the league cup. At the young age of 19 and with much to prove, Sims could be deadly against a struggling Crystal Palace, should he be called up.
In the league last year, Southampton and Palace split the fixtures with Palace winning 1-0 at home in December and the Saints winning 4-1 at St. Mary’s in May.
Saints boss Puel is hoping to finish off an great week with a win away at Palace.
"“Now we come back with a strong game, a difficult game, to play against Crystal Palace,” Puel said. “It’s always difficult after a good game to come back and to keep the good attitude and motivation, and it will be very important to stay present in the mentality and the quality also with this game.”"
Lassner’s Pick: Crystal Palace 0-3 Southampton
Next: Southampton: Charlie Austin Strikes Again as Saints Down Everton
Match Info:
Date: Saturday, December 3
Kick Off: 10:00 a.m. ET
Location: London, England
Stadium: Selhurst Park
TV Info: CNBC
Live Stream: NBC Sports