On Saturday, Saints face local Premier League opposition Bournemouth at St. Mary’s in what is the first of four games left to ignite a great escape.
Southampton lie four points from safety but have a superior goal difference to teams around them, which could fall in their favour. However, anything but a win on Saturday will surely condemn Saints to their fate as Premier League relegation will be too big a task to overcome.
Saturday’s opponents are in mixed form having picked up five points in their last six league games after what was a very positive start to the new year with wins against Chelsea and Arsenal in January.
The Cherries are sat in 11th place which, despite not being as high as their finish last term, will be a satisfactory season for Eddie Howe’s side, especially with the competitiveness of this season’s relegation scrap.
Saints will have to be wary of the goal threat that Bournemouth could provide as Callum Wilson, Jermain Defoe and Josh King are fit and firing. Bournemouth are also the “comeback kings” as they have won the most points from losing positions in the league this season which could come back to bite Saints if they don’t kill the game off.
As for Saints, Mark Hughes will have a selection dilemma at the back as Jack Stephens returns from his three-match ban after a red card at the Emirates earlier this month. A three centre-back system that has seen the introduction of young defender Jan Bednarek, who scored against Chelsea on his Premier League debut, may be used by the Welshman but the question will be who out of Wesley Hoedt, Maya Yoshida, Jan Bednarek and Jack Stephens.
Charlie Austin has now been back in contention for almost a month but, despite scoring off of the bench at Arsenal, the striker hasn’t looked as sharp as we know he can be. Shane Long has been impressive in the last couple of games but has missed a couple of sitters, most notably against Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final last weekend. The goal threat is there, however it will be down to taking chances on Saturday as Bournemouth really could make us rue missed opportunities.
Saturday is crucial, end of. Most fans have accepted relegation, however with Swansea facing Chelsea this weekend, there is a great chance for the gap between 17th and 18th spaces to be closed to just one point and, with the sides having to face each other soon, that game could decide both teams’ fate.
Next: Chelsea 2-0 Saints - FA Cup - Player ratings
Why Southampton will win
We’ve said it many times recently, however this really is a must-win game. We have three satisfactory fixtures before closing the season with the newly-crowned champions Manchester City and a win against our south-coast counterparts could really give the players and fans the necessary boost to go on and prevent relegation to the Championship.
Charlie Austin has a couple of career goals against Bournemouth and will love to score against the Cherries for personal reasons which could benefit us. Shane Long has worked very hard recently and Nathan Redmond has been improving. It’s more of a case of ‘if’ they will do it instead of ‘can’ they do it because they certainly have the quality to beat Bournemouth; they have the quality to be in the top half but that hasn’t worked out this season.
A draw or loss will make it very difficult for Saints to remain in the Premier League so a win really is crucial if we are to have any chance of staying up.
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Why Bournemouth will win
Saints have bottled many ‘must-win’ games this season and it wouldn’t be a surprise if Bournemouth left with something on Saturday. Despite being in mixed form, the Cherries have played three of the top four in their last six league games (losing each match) and have gotten results against the ‘lesser’ teams they’ve faced lately.
The Cherries have never won at Southampton in their history and will want to potentially hammer the final nail in their south-coast ‘rivals’ ‘s Premier League coffin. They also have Jermain Defoe in their side who’s enjoyed goals against Saints in recent years as well as the danger that lie in Callum Wilson and Josh King.
Predicted Line-Ups
Southampton:
Goalkeeper: Alex McCarthy
Defence: Cedric Soares, Maya Yoshida, Wesley Hoedt, Jack Stephens, Ryan Bertrand
Midfield: Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, Oriol Romeu, James Ward-Prowse
Attackers: Charlie Austin, Shane Long
Bournemouth:
Goalkeeper: Asmir Begovic
Defence: Simon Francis, Steve Cook, Nathan Ake, Charlie Daniels
Midfield: Jordon Ibe, Lewis Cook, Andrew Surman, Ryan Fraser
Attackers: Josh King, Callum Wilson
Score Prediction:
Southampton 3-1 Bournemouth