Southampton vs. West Bromwich Albion: Preview and predictions
By Ben King
Southampton host West Brom in a bid to get back to winning ways in the Premier League after an eventful 2-2 draw with Newcastle last Sunday.
The Saints haven’t won a game in over a month, the last victory coming in a gutsy 1-0 win against Crystal Palace. A second successive home game may just benefit the team. West Brom however, comes off the back of a 1-1 draw with Leicester City at the King Power Stadium.
Despite Newcastle conceding a sloppy penalty in the last minute in the previous match, I thought that the draw was a fair result. We also had some half chances that we could have taken on another day.
There were reports of injury concerns with Ben Foster and Boaz Myhill missing tomorrow’s match. Although, Tony Pulis said that both goalkeepers were training in the build up to their visit to St Mary’s. James Morrison, Tal Robson-Kanu and Oliver Burke are unavailable.
Meanwhile Jeremy Pied is the only player out for us with no fresh injury concerns.
Why Southampton will win
Manalo Gabbiadini found some form scoring a brace in the previous match. Maurico Pellegrino will also know what to expect from his opposite man, Tony Pulis as his tactics are quite predictable. If the team can play near the level they showed in the 1-0 loss to Manchester United a few weeks ago, there’s a good chance we can secure all three points.
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Why West Brom will win
West Brom are a team that likes to sit back although can cause danger on the counter attack with former-Saints player Jay Rodriguez and Nacer Chadli providing plenty of pace and directness on the wing. If we can’t find any rhythm going forward than that will certainly suit West Brom. Solomon Rondon can also provide an aerial and physical threat for the visitors.
Team Predictions
Southampton:
Goalkeeper: Fraser Forster
Defenders: Cedric Soares, Maya Yoshida, Virgil van Dijk, Ryan Bertrand
Midfielders: Steven Davis, Oriol Romeu, Mario Lemina, Dusan Tadic, Nathan Redmond
Striker: Manalo Gabbiadini
West Brom:
Goalkeeper: Boaz Myhill
Defenders: Craig Dawson, Ahmed Hegazi, Jonny Evans, Keiran Gibbs
Midfielders: Jake Livermore, Grzegorz Krychowiak, Gareth Barry, Jay Rodriguez, Nacer Chadli
Striker: Solomon Rondon
Verdict
This is a game we can realistically win. West Brom aren’t coming into the game with great form either. I think Manalo Gabbiadini will once again be the hero for us despite playing against such a compact defence. Hopefully, we can be a threat going forward than we shouldn’t have many worries.
Predicted score: Southampton 2-0 West Brom