Southampton: Saints’ Premier League clash with Watford given new date
By Marc Walker
Southampton’s Premier League clash with Watford has been given a new date after the Hornets’ involvement in the FA Cup last weekend.
The game will now be played on Tuesday 23rd April, with kick-off at Vicarage Road at 7.45pm.
Last Saturday was the original date for the match but it was rearranged to allow Watford to play their FA Cup Quarter-Final with Crystal Palace, which they won 2-1.
The new date means that Saints now face this trip after playing Newcastle United away on 20th April and before hosting Bournemouth at St Mary’s on 27th April.
If Ralph Hasenhuttl and his side are still in need of points by that stage, they may look to that run of three games to get themselves to top-flight safety.
dark. Next. When are the seven Saints in international action?
A superb 2-1 win over Spurs last time out saw them move onto 30 points and remain two clear of the relegation zone despite other teams around them getting positive results too.
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Whilst some of their direct rivals at the bottom of the table played at the weekend too, defeats for Burnley, Fulham and Huddersfield saw the standings stay much as they were before.
One potentially negative point of the current three-week break that Saints have is the loss of momentum.
After such a huge result against Spurs, the players and staff will have been wanting to get into other games as quickly as possible to feed off of the boost they received.
However, seven senior players now go away on international duty and it will be vital that they return in good shape to continue the push for survival.
For players such as James Ward-Prowse, the international break provides a great opportunity to impress further. Others such as Mohamed Elyounoussi could benefit for different reasons with a potential confidence boost following a disappointing first campaign in England.
The ideal situation of course would be successful appearances for nationals sides and then a successful end to the season for Saints; something that would be snapped up by all Saints fans right now.