Club football is back and here to stay for 4 months and this next stretch could be the most important for Southampton and their future in the Premier League.
The Saints, start their crucial stretch away at Craven Cottage to take on newly promoted Fulham on Saturday. In a matchup that brings the team that has conceded the most goals (Fulham) against the team with the second least goals (Southampton) this match will undoubtedly be a an interesting affair which both teams believe they can take all three points from.
Another, interesting storyline entering this match are managers who are seemingly on the opposite sides of the spectrum in terms of job security. Fulham, have brought in ex-Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri over the break and Southampton will be his first opponent at the helm of Fulham. Mark Hughes, on the other hand, is hearing the noise yet again that this could be his last match as manager if the result does not go his way. So with one new manager with nothing to lose versus a manager that is possibly coaching for his job let us take a look at how each team could manage a victory.
Why Fulham Will Win
Having a title winning manager now in charge has to be a bit of motivation and a breath of fresh air for the Fulham players. They will look to play well and hard to impress their new gaffer and solidify their spot in his starting XI.
Fulham, over the summer spent nearly £100m to prepare their side to endure the grind of the Premier League and help ensure they would not flirt with or be relegated after just a single season. Players such as Jean Michael Seri, Andre Zambo Anguissa, and Andre Schurrle have been brought in in-hopes they would make Fulham a formidable threat and finish mid-table. So far, it has not gone to plan as the sit 20th in the league.
Fulham have conceded 31 times this season and will look to advantage of a low scoring Southampton team to gain confidence on the defensive side of the ball. The players and Ranieri will be going into a match believing they can keep the ever elusive clean sheet at home and start this new relationship off on the right foot.
With such a porous defense, Fulham may have to score multiple times though to secure the three points they desperately need to get out of the bottom of the table.
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Why Southampton Will Win
Despite the controversial result of the last match, Hughes had to have liked what he saw from the players for most of the Watford match. The players seemed comfortable in a 4-2-3-1 and there is no reason Hughes should stray away from that against, Fulham.
With Ings looking doubtful for the match, it very well could be Charlie Austin who takes his place up top while the other 10 remain the same from the previous match.
Southampton, will look to crack the weak Fulham defense early and strike fast and often. The players will know full well how susceptible the London side are to conceding and will go into the match looking to grab a few goals to add to their tallies.
Hughes will be aggressive and if they are able to strike early in the match the flood gates may open and the Saints may be able to score 2+ goals for the first time since mid-September. If they do score two or more goals that should be enough for traveling Saints to get all three points and for Mark Hughes to see another week in charge of the team.
Predicted Lineups
Fulham: 4-4-2
Goalkeeper: Sergio Rico
Defenders: Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Calum Chambers, Alfie Mawson, Maxime Le Marchand
Midfielders: Andre Schurrle, Tom Cairney, Jean Michael Seri, Ryan Sessegnon
Forwards: Aleksander Mitrovic, Luciano Vietto
Southampton: 4-2-3-1
Goalkeeper: Alex McCarthy
Defenders: Matt Targett, Weasley Hoedt, Maya Yoshida, Cedric Soares
Midfielders: Pierre-Emili Hojbjerg, Mario Lemina, Stuart Armstrong, Nathan Redmond, Manolo Gabbiadini
Forwards: Charlie Austin
Predicted Score
Fulham 1-2 Southampton