Tonight, Southampton travels to Bramall Lane to face Sheffield United in their eighth Championship game of the season. The Saints have been woeful all season so far, but with the squad oozing quality and the aspiration of returning to the Premier League still in sight, it only takes one good performance to rewrite the narrative.
As far as the travelling Southampton fans are concerned, that good performance better come tonight. You're looking at around four hours between St Marys Stadium and Bramall Lane, and it's bound to be a cold one tonight.
The home team, on the other hand, hasn't been up to scratch either. In fact, they can probably complain louder than Southampton. Ruben Selles was recently sent packing after a woeful start to the season, and now Chris Wilder is left with a mammoth task on his hands.
Both Sheffield United and Southampton would have been predicted to be promoted back to the Championship this season, one way or another. So, if either of them wants to still achieve that, they best get a move on.
Tonight, one of, if not both teams, will drop points. Thankfully, the Saints have been granted some positive news in the buildup.
Tahith Chong's status unknown before Southampton match
Tahith Chong was on track to make his full Blades debut against Oxford United, but a late injury forced him out of the starting lineup. It was a real shame for the Blades boss Chris Wilder, who is known around Sheffield for giving players their dreams.
Chris Wilder said, via The Star: “We'll wait and see [if Chong will be fit to face Southampton]. That was disappointing for Chongy. He was set to start, and he’d trained really well. The position that we were playing him, he's played before in the Premier League with Luton Town. And his knee just locked up during the warm-up. So, that wasn't an ideal situation."
So, Wilder cannot confirm for sure whether or not Chong is able to play against Southampton tonight. It's one of those 'race against time' scenarios, where fans will find out when they find out.
Look, Chong is serious. He has plenty of Premier League experience with his former clubs Luton and Man United. He also played in the Champions League once and started two Europa League games. So, he's one of the highest-profile players in the Championship.
It's fair to say that the Saints would rather not play against him, given the choice.