Southampton vs. Brighton: Saints host Seagulls in vital south-coast clash
By Marc Walker
Southampton welcome Brighton to St. Mary’s on Wednesday evening in what looks to be vital match in the battle for Premier League survival.
Following a noticeable upturn in performances in league and cup, the Saints go into this fixture in their best form for a while and will be needing to take the three points to move out of the Premier League’s relegation zone.
Opponents Brighton have progressed past tricky FA Cup third and fourth-round fixtures like Southampton, but have suffered in the league. They have only taken two points from their last five Premier League fixtures and have scored just two goals in that time.
When the Saints and the Seagulls last met back in October, a 1-1 draw was played out. A strong start from Southampton saw Steven Davis open the scoring, but a second-half header from Glenn Murray saw Brighton deservedly take a share of the spoils.
After that result, Southampton found themselves in ninth in the table, while Brighton were a respectable 12th in their debut Premier League campaign. However, they now sit 18th and 16th respectively after equally poor runs.
Saints have scored 24 goals in comparison to Brighton’s 17, but the Seagulls have a slightly better defensive record having only conceded 33 times to Southampton’s 35.
January transfer window signings could play a big part in this match however, with new attacking options available or both sides. Southampton could hand a full debut to club-record signing Guido Carrillo, whilst Brighton are likely to have striker Leonardo Ulloa available after his loan move from Leicester City.
Southampton will give late fitness tests to both Guido Carrillo and Ryan Bertrand, whilst Charlie Austin has returned to training this week. Brighton will be without midfielder Steve Sidwell for the trip to St Mary’s, whilst new forward Jurgen Locadia could be in contention.
Why Southampton will win
In recent games, Southampton seem to have found a bit of added energy and the draw in their last league match against Tottenham Hotspur saw a huge team effort from all the players.
Improved form from players such as James Ward-Prowse and Ryan Bertrand have been key to recent results, and Alex McCarthy has looked very assured in goal since his introduction to the side.
A strong start from Saints could see them take the lead here, and they should then have the defensive resilience to see the game out from a leading position.
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Why Brighton will win
Many teams have been able to see out early pressure from Southampton by sitting deep and taking advantage late in the game.
Crystal Palace, Burnley, Arsenal, Huddersfield, Watford and Brighton themselves have scored the winning goal or equalised late on against Southampton this season as Saints struggle to stampt their authority on matches.
Goalscoring within the Seagulls’ ranks will surely be boosted by the loan signing of striker Leonardo Ulloa, who was a prolific scorer for the team in his previous spell at the Amex Stadium.
Predicted line-ups
Southampton
Goalkeeper: Alex McCarthy
Defenders: Cedric, Jack Stephens, Wesley Hoedt, Ryan Bertrand
Midfielders: Oriol Romeu, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Mario Lemina, James Ward-Prowse, Dusan Tadic
Striker: Shane Long
Brighton
Goalkeeper: Mathew Ryan
Defenders: Ezequiel Schelotto, Shane Duffy, Lewis Dunk, Gaitan Bong
Midfielders: Anthony Knockaert, Dale Stephens, Davy Propper, Jose Izquierdo, Pascal Gross
Striker: Leonardo Ulloa