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Southampton vs Bournemouth preview – How to watch the relegation six-pointer on TV, team news & prediction

By Freddie Kilbey

LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 21: Ruben Selles, Manager of Southampton, speaks with the players after their draw in the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Southampton FC at Emirates Stadium on April 21, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 21: Ruben Selles, Manager of Southampton, speaks with the players after their draw in the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Southampton FC at Emirates Stadium on April 21, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) /
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Southampton will host AFC Bournemouth at St Mary’s on Thursday evening; it is anticipated to be a thrilling clash on the south coast.

Both teams will come into the game with not only local pride on the line but will be eager for the possibility of three points as the sides are hooked into a tight relegation battle.

Ruben Selles’ side lost two crucial points at the Emirates stadium on Friday after conceding two goals in the last 10 minutes to draw the game 3-3.

Carlos ‘Charly’ Alacaraz opened the scoring in the first minute for the Saints after he pounced upon Aaron Ramsdale’s mistake and fired home. Former Arsenal man, Theo Walcott, extended Southampton’s lead minutes after he slotted in Alcaraz’s threaded pass.

Gabriel Martinelli pulled a goal back for the Gunners minutes after Walcott’s strike. Duje Ćaleta-Car’s header at the back-post made the away fans after he made it 3-1 to the Hampshire outfit.

Arsenal’s captain Martin Ødegaard curled home a spectacular shot to provide the North London outfit with some hope in the 88th minute of the game before Saka rescued a point for the Gunners after he poked in an equaliser in the 90th minute.

The Saints remain four points from safety in the Premier League with only six games left, making Thursday’s game even more crucial than before.

However, Bournemouth go into the game after suffering a 4-0 loss at home to relegation rivals West Ham and will be desperate to bounce back to winning ways against the Saints.

Southampton vs Bournemouth preview- How to watch the game on TV, team news & prediction

Here is the preview of Thursday’s Premier League relegation six-pointer between Southampton and AFC Bournemouth at St. Mary’s.

How can I watch the game?

Kick-off: 8 PM BST, Thursday 27th April

Location: St Mary’s Stadium

How to watch the game? This game will be broadcasted in the UK on ‘BT Sport 3’ and match tickets are still being sold at https://www.southamptonfc.com/match-tickets. In the US, the game will be broadcasted on ‘Peacock’.

Team News

Southampton's doctor Steve Baynes (R) holds onto Southampton's Polish defender Jan Bednarek (L) to ensure he doesn't try to enter play having been hurt during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Southampton at the Emirates Stadium in London on April 21, 2023.
Southampton’s doctor Steve Baynes (R) holds onto Southampton’s Polish defender Jan Bednarek (L) to ensure he doesn’t try to enter play having been hurt during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Southampton at the Emirates Stadium in London on April 21, 2023. (Photo by Adrian DENNIS / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images) /

The Saints will still have a few key players ruled out for the South Coast clash against local rivals, Bournemouth.

Mohammed Salisu, Che Adams, Juan Larios and Valentino Livramento are all expected to remain out for the game against the Cherries.

Southampton defender Jan Bednarek is expected to be sidelined for the derby after he sustained a head injury against Arsenal.

On the other hand, Bournemouth will also travel to St Mary’s without a few players. Gary O’Neil’s side will be missing Ryan Fredericks and Junior Stanislas, both are still injured. The Cherries are also forbidden from playing Jack Stephens as he is not allowed to play against his parent club.

Predicted Line-ups

Saints: Bazunu, Maitland-Niles, Bella Kotchap, Ćaleta-Car, Walker-Peters, Ward Prowse, Lavia, Elyounoussi, Alcaraz, Walcott, Armstrong

Bournemouth: Neto, Mepham, Kelly, Senesi, Smith, Rothwell, Lerma, Tavernier, Ouattara, Billing, Solanke.

Saints’ Recent Form

Arsenal 3-3 Southampton (21/4)

Southampton 0-2 Crystal Palace (15/04)

Southampton 1-4 Manchester City (08/04)

West Ham 1-0 Southampton (02/04)

Southampton 3-3 Tottenham (18/03)

Bournemouth’s Recent Form

Bournemouth 0-4 West Ham (23/04)

Tottenham 2-3 Bournemouth (15/04)

Leicester City 0-1 Bournemouth (08/04)

Bournemouth 0-2 Brighton & Hove Albion (04/04)

Bournemouth 2-1 Fulham (01/04)

Prediction

Theo Walcott of Southampton (L) celebrates with teammate Carlos Alcaraz after scoring the team's second goal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Southampton FC at Emirates Stadium on April 21, 2023 in London, England.
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 21: Theo Walcott of Southampton (L) celebrates with teammate Carlos Alcaraz after scoring the team’s second goal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Southampton FC at Emirates Stadium on April 21, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) /

The Saints nearly took all three points from North London, which will probably give the Hampshire outfit a huge confidence boost for the clash on Thursday.

However, the Saints were unable to play their favoured possession-based football against the Gunners but were able to be a lot more clinical in the final third. Their lack of goals has been a problem for the Saints this season, therefore, they will be hoping to be as good in front of goal as they were against Arsenal.

We can expect Selles’ side to attack the Cherries from the start with an excited home crowd ready to provide an energy and atmosphere boost for the Saints. However, Bournemouth are certainly no pushovers and can pull out some crucial results.

The Cherries are currently sitting in 15th in the Premier League table and will need a win against their South Coast rivals to bolster their bid to remain in the league next season.

Prediction: Southampton 2-1 Bournemouth

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