Southampton vs Watford: Mixed team news for both ahead of six-pointer

Under-fire Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl will not be able to call on either Stuart Armstrong or Sofiane Boufal for Saturday’s crucial six pointer with Watford.

Although both the Scot and the Moroccan have both been peripheral figures to date this season, Armstrong in particular was impressive in a rare outing last week in the spirited draw against Arsenal.

In his press conference on Thursday, Hasenhuttl confirmed the pair would be missing in what could prove to be a decisive battle in the struggle to avoid the drop.

When noting the reasons behind their absence, the Austrian stated that:

"“In the last game he (Armstrong) cramped a little at the end. He has a few problems with his hamstring. Maybe two weeks he is out.”"

It is possible that a lack of playing time may have limited the midfielder’s match fitness, which can often lead to a susceptibility to issues such as cramp.

With regards to Boufal, Hasenhuttl mentioned that the mercurial winger had hurt his toe, meaning that “it will be difficult for him to play this weekend.”

Although he confirmed that nothing has been broken, Boufal has been unable to train over the last three days. Frustratingly, the injury is believed to have been sustained at home whilst running into a table (Via Adam Blackmore).

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Aside from the concerns noted above, Jannik Vestergaard has been unwell but has returned to training and is understood to be in contention for a starting berth.

With the current form of Bednarek and Stephens, there is no guarantee that, even if fit, the Dane will start against Watford, especially given Hasenhuttl appears inclined to stick with the four man back line which obtained a point at the Emirates.

The Hornets, themselves in 20th place in the league, have a host of injuries to contend with according to beleaguered coach Quique Sánchez Flores.

The Watford website notes that “The Head Coach will be without Craig Dawson (head), Christian Kabasele (hamstring) and Daryl Janmaat (knee) this weekend. They join Tom Cleverley (heel), Danny Welbeck (hamstring) and Sebastian Prödl (knee) on the injury list.”

However, it does highlight that both Bachmann and Quina have trained during the week and given the injury predicament currently, it is possible that both will have some involvement in the weekend’s game.

Unfortunately for Watford, this weekend could be too early to see a return for Roberto Pereyra according to his gaffer.

With the two teams residing in the bottom spots of the Premier League, it goes without saying that losing the match could be catastrophic for either side.

Southampton begin a favourable run of fixtures and failure to capitalise on Watford’s injury crisis and poor form could lead to further questions being asked of Hasenhuttl.