Saints Marching
Fansided

Southampton: Promising injury news for Saints ahead of Arsenal clash

By Ryan Borowski

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 01: Danny Ings of Southampton celebrates with teammate Cedric Soares after scoring his team's first goal during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Southampton FC at Selhurst Park on September 1, 2018 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Christopher Lee/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 01: Danny Ings of Southampton celebrates with teammate Cedric Soares after scoring his team's first goal during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Southampton FC at Selhurst Park on September 1, 2018 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Christopher Lee/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

As Southampton head into the weekend, they look to snatch a result from threating Arsenal side in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s first home match as manager.

The Saints get some encouraging injury news for Cedric Soares, Danny Ings, and Shane Long but, Ryan Bertrand has faced a setback.

During Hasenhuttl’s press conference on Friday he took some time to address the status of these players mentioning that the trio of healthy players trained twice this week without any limitations or setbacks.

The Austrian said they are fit for the match on Sunday and will be in consideration for the squad. Ryan Bertrand on the other hand, had a minor procedure done on his back and will be out for an additional 10-14 days.

So that means either Matt Targett or Yan Valery will have to continue to fill in for the injured Englishman and will have a shot to cement their place on the squad.

Saints vs Arsenal: Premier League - Preview and Predictions. dark. Next

SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 10: Ryan Bertrand of Southampton during the Premier League match between Southampton FC and Watford FC at St Mary’s Stadium on November 10, 2018 in Southampton, United Kingdom. (Photo by Harry Trump/Getty Images)
SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 10: Ryan Bertrand of Southampton during the Premier League match between Southampton FC and Watford FC at St Mary’s Stadium on November 10, 2018 in Southampton, United Kingdom. (Photo by Harry Trump/Getty Images) /

More from Saints Marching

Hasenhuttl also mentioned that defender Jack Stephens is still feeling the effects of a collision that involved his knees and his status for the match on Sunday is uncertain.

What does this injury news mean for the match on Sunday? Cedric will most likely be a shoe-in to return to the lineup to face the Gunners on Sunday but the real question is who will be his full-back partner.

Will it be Yan Valery or Matt Targett? Personally, I believe it will be Valery because he seems to be a bit more athletic than Targett and the young Frenchman is better able to keep up with the demands of Hasenhuttl’s tactical scheme. But, it could just as easily be Targett in the lineup Sunday.

As for the forwards, Hasenhuttl will have five strikers to choose from on Sunday and the decision could be crucial as to whether or not Saints can secure points on Sunday.

It will be interesting to see who he chooses and if they play well it could be a partnership we see for a while, assuming he goes with 2 strikers

Home/Southampton FC News