Ahead of a must-win clash against Crystal Palace, Southampton boss Mauricio Pellegrino feels his side are prepared for the encounter.
With Roy Hodgson at the helm of a Premier League side for the first time in five years, Crystal Palace will be hoping for a result after four losses without scoring under the now-sacked Frank de Boer.
However the Saints go in the game far from on-form themselves, with just one goal from open play and no win in three in all competitions.
Manolo Gabbiadini’s strike early on against West Ham was Southampton’s last goal not from the penalty spot, making it’s now been over 300 minutes since Pellegrino’s men last struck from open play.
Despite this, the Argentinian coach is confident that his side can pull off a result, with a win taking their points total to an acceptable eight from 15.
"“It will be a really tough game at Crystal Palace and they will try to put us under pressure but we have been working well this week.” – Pellegrino"
If the Saints are to lose against a rejuvenated Palace, then obviously they could be left with just five points from five games. If results go against them, then they could fall right into a battle for relegation early on.
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Despite not scoring so far in the league this campaign, the London side have plenty of attacking options who can cause damage, especially striker Christian Benteke.
Any defender in the league would struggle to deal with the physicality of the Belgian, and Fraser Forster has showed this season already that he struggles to deal with goal-mouth poachers.
What’s more, Palace have plenty of pace that can cause damage to a fairly slow Southampton side, with the likes of Patrick van Aanholt, Jason Puncheon and the soon-to-return Wilfried Zaha.
Despite currently sitting in mid-table, Southampton supporters are yet to be convinced by Pellegrino across his first five games in all competitions, and a win against the struggling side would do great things for the fan’s faith.