Southampton vs. Norwich: Preview of an Early Season Six-Pointer
Southampton welcome Premier League newcomers Norwich to St. Mary’s on Wednesday with both teams looking to get out of the bottom.
As it stands, Southampton sit in 18th place on the table a single point above Norwich who reside in 19th. The Saints have a chance with a victory and an Everton defeat on Wednesday to find themselves out of the relegation zone so this could not be a bigger match.
Norwich, recently drew 2-2 with Arsenal (just like the Saints did) and are looking to go unbeaten in 3 straight. Both teams will be gunning for the victory as a draw does nothing for either side so it should, at the very least, be an entertaining match.
How Southampton Will Win
The first step for the Saints in collecting all three points will be to not play like they did in the first half against Watford. The way they played that half would not beat anybody in this league. They need to come out with confidence and composure and get on the front foot early. They are at home and need to act like it!
If the Saints can find a way to score at home in the first half and not concede they should be able to dictate the match. On top of that, they need to create higher quality chances. The team already struggles to score and they cannot rely on individual moments of brilliance all season long to keep them up.
Working better chances and finishing the big chances will not only be the key to this match but also for the season. Additionally, they need to avoid that one big mistake defensively it seems they have every match and really focus on keeping a clean sheet.
How Norwich Will Win
Norwich, despite their position on the table, have quality. They can boast a victory over Man City and when the offense is clicking they can score easily. The issue is they offensive does not always show up when they need it.
They have been held scoreless 6 times this season so they are viable to being shut out. They will now of Southampton’s poor first half performances this season and will want to score early to take the crowd out of it and take control of the match.
If they do score first on Wednesday, they could very well sit back and invite Southampton to try and break them down because Saints still have lots of issues when it comes to breaking down a low block. If that happens, Norwich will be walking away with at least a point.
Next. Saints draw Huddersfield Town in FA Cup Third-Round. dark
Predicted line-ups
Southampton: 4-2-2-2
Goalkeeper: Alex McCarthy
Defenders: Yan Valery, Jan Bednarek, Jack Stephens, Kevin Danso
Midfielders: Oriol Romeu, James Ward-Prowse
Attacking Midfielders: Moussa Djenepo, Nathan Redmond
Forwards: Danny Ings, Shane Long
Norwich: 4-2-3-1
Goalkeeper: Tim Krul
Defenders: Sam Byram, Ben Godfrey, Christoph Zimmermann, Max Aarons
Holding Midfielders: Alexander Tettey, Tom Trybull
Attacking Midfielders: Onel Hernandez, Kenny McLean, Todd Cantwell
Striker: Teemu Pukki
Predicted Score
Southampton 3-1 Norwich