Southampton vs Swansea City: Preview and predictions
Southampton start their first competitive match under Mauricio Pellegrino at home against Swansea on Saturday afternoon.
Both teams have had their summers overshadowed by uncertainties surrounding the future of a star player. Although it doesn’t look as though the situations will be resolved by the weekend, it’s been confirmed that neither player will feature in the match day squads.
Despite flirting with relegation last season, Paul Clement hasn’t overseen a huge overhaul at Swansea this summer. Heading out, ex-Saint Jack Cork has switched to Burnley and Bafetimbi Gomes has moved on permanently to Galatasaray.
Replacing them are Roque Mesa from Las Palmas in midfield and Tammy Abraham on a season-long loan from Chelsea.
The tough tackling Mesa isn’t guaranteed a start on Saturday, but Tammy Abraham is likely to come straight into the first XI.
After scoring 23 goals in 41 appearances for Bristol City last term, the young forward will be eager to prove that he can make an impact at the top level. With Gylfi Sigurdsson and Fernando Llorente both unlikely to be available, Swansea will be looking to Abraham for goals.
Why Southampton will win
Southampton are likely to line up with a very similar starting XI to the end of last season, but with the benefit of a new manager with a different ethos.
On paper the team is stronger and deeper than Swansea in all areas, and fans will be hoping that Pellegrino can get his players firing in front of goal. Saints will also want to start with a good performance at St Mary’s after some mediocre home form last time around.
Following a 2-0 win against a Champions League-level team in Sevilla last weekend, confidence will be high at St Mary’s. Combine that with the drive to shift the media commentary away from VVD and back to results, and Saints should throw everything they have at this game.
Swansea will also miss the goals and creativity of Llorente and Sigurdsson, and don’t have the depth to replace them like-for-like.
Why Swansea will win
Like Southampton, Swansea will want to rise above the transfer speculation around their star player and start the season with a positive result.
Tammy Abraham, Leroy Fer and Jordan Ayew are likely to be the danger men in regards to goals, but equally important will be Alfie Mawson. The young defender’s stock is rising, and he will be hoping for a strong season that positions him as an outsider for the England World Cup squad.
Abraham is carrying a slight groin injury, but is expected to recover and feature on Saturday.
Swansea only won four matches away from home last season, which they will need to improve if they want to avoid another relegation battle.
Every team wants a winning start to the season, and after a strong 4-0 friendly win against Sampdoria last week, Swansea will feel they are in with a chance.
Next: Pellegrino confirms team news for Swansea clash
Predicted Line-ups
Southampton:
Goalkeeper: Fraser Forster
Defence: Ryan Bertrand, Maya Yoshida, Jack Stephens, Cedric Soares
Midfielders: Steven Davis, Oriol Romeu, James Ward-Prowse, Dusan Tadic, Nathan Redmond
Striker: Manolo Gabbiadini
Swansea:
Goalkeeper: Łukasz Fabiański
Defence: Martin Olsson , Alfie Mawson, Federico Fernández, Kyle Naughton
Midfielders: Leroy Fer, Leon Britton, Tom Carroll, Wayne Routledge
Strikers: Tammy Abraham, Jordan Ayew
Verdict
I think Saints will record an opening day victory, but I don’t expect to see a clean sheet. The difference in quality across the team should be the difference here. I wouldn’t be surprised to see goals from two or more Saints players as they aim to banish the memories of a low scoring season.
Southampton 3-1 Swansea