Southampton's preseason friendly against Brighton is tipped to see starts for Damion Downs and the Seagulls duo, Stefanos Tzimas and Charalampos Kostoulas, as they face off in a £60m debut tussle.
While a preseason campaign, as a whole, comes as a crucial preparation phase for clubs, the final games garner the maximum attention. And it's rightly so, as if the initial one draws suspense, the ultimate game pulls down curtains on a club's matchday plans for the season.
Well, Southampton's case is no different, as the supporters have started looking forward to the final Brighton game scenario. Yet, what's a little different is that, being a southern outfit battle, the competitiveness of the game would be more on the derby side than a friendly one.
If Walker-Peters' West Ham signing pulled some eyeballs away from the clash, the recent update from the Brighton camp has compensated for it better. And what awaits the fans is an intense striker battle soon.
That's because, as per Sussex World, Brighton will debut their £52m attacking recruits, Stefanos Tzimas and Charalampos Kostoulas, against the Saints on 9th August. Well, if it gets accompanied by Will Still fulfilling the fans' request to start Damion Downs, everything feels moving towards an electrifying £60m battle of young forwards.
Saints fans demand a dominating win on Brighton to see off Preseason
Honestly, this would suffice for the Saints fans to wholeheartedly follow the game, and their previous rivalry just adds to the suspense.
That's because, if you remember, Brighton commanded ultimate domination over Southampton, maintaining a 5-1 score across the two ties last season. And hardly any Saints fan would have forgotten the cheeky jab by Adam Webster that rubbed salt on their wounds after a 4-0 defeat in February.
Needless to say, St. Mary's would want to avenge their southern rivals, possibly in a 6-goal fest again. Well, a win is the minimum wanted, but obviously, the bigger the Saints win, the better.
For all these reasons, the Brighton matchday remains a marked event on the Saints' fans' calendar. Potentially a big day for Downs, hardly anything could please the supporters than the debutant's goal in a Saints win.