Southampton vs West Brom: Can Saints make it two in a row?
Southampton welcome newly-promoted West Brom to St. Marys’ Sunday as they look to double their point total on the season and win two in a row.
Both teams have not had an ideal start to their Premier League campaign but Sunday presents a chance for either team to start turning the tide and get their season going in the right direction.
Southampton, are coming off of a 1-0 victory over Burnley in their last match and West Brom had a surprising draw against Chelsea that was 3-3. Both results will surely give each team a confidence boost and they will look to gain momentum with another result Sunday.
Let us take a look at how both teams can win.
How Saints Will Win
Southampton, was great against newly-promoted sides last season and will look to continue that this year and it all starts with West Brom. West Brom have conceded 11 goals thus far this season and if the Saints want the points they will need to take advantage of a leaky defense.
Danny Ings and Che Adams will need to take their chance when they come and find the back of the net. This is a prime opportunity for both of them to get on the scoresheet and really get the season going.
Kyle Walker-Peters and Ryan Bertrand will also be key to the success of the team. We saw the pass KWP had that led to the opening goal and I would like to see more of that come Sunday. If they can execute Ralph’s gameplan there should be no reason they do not walk away victorious from this match.
How West Brom Will Win
Until proven otherwise, the strategy for beating Southampton is much the same week-in and week-out. The struggling breaking down teams that sit back and invite pressure and if the visitors can form a couple decent counter chances they could sneak out of St. Marys with a point or three.
They will need to play Ings tight and not allow him to get his shots off and force other players to beat them. Thus far, Danny Ings has scored the only goals for the club so stopping him will be the key.
If Saints try the high-line again, dropping in long balls over the top will be the best route to goal for the Baggies. They will like their chances on Sunday and will not be backing down from this match.
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Predicted Lineups
Southampton: 4-2-2-2
Goalkeeper: Alex McCarthy
Defenders: Kyle Walker-Peters, Jan Bednarek, Jannik Vestergaard, Ryan Bertrand
Midfielders: James Ward-Prowse, Oriol Romeu
Attacking Midfielders: Stuart Armstrong, Moussa Djenepo
Strikers: Danny Ings, Che Adams
West Brom: 5-4-1
Goalkeeper: Sam Johnstone
Defenders: Kieran Gibbs, Dara O’Shea, Kyle Bartley, Semi Ajayi, Darnell Furlong
Midfielders: Grady Diangana, Romaine Sawyers, Jake Livermore, Matheus Pereira
Striker: Callum Robinson
Predicted Score
Southampton 3-1 West Brom