Southampton play Swansea on Sunday, with both sides aiming to kick-start their league form. The Saints are yet to register a league win this season, following their late defeat last week to Arsenal, while Swansea will be hoping to build on their draw with Chelsea last time out.
The Saints head into this one on the back of a Europa League win in mid-week, and will be hoping that can spearhead them into the League. Only two points this campaign, after two draws, has left them in the relegation zone, with new manager Claude Puel still looking to impose his philosophy on the team.
The Swans meanwhile are in slightly better shape in 13th, after a win, a draw against Chelsea and two defeats. Manager Francesco Guidolin is beginning to make the Swans a force again slowly but surely, and despite being underdogs in this fixture, they may feel they can get something from the game.
Recent battles
Southampton did the double over Swansea last season, beating them 3-1 at St. Mary’s Park and 1-0 at the Liberty Stadium. In fact, in eight League games between the two, Southampton have only lost once. They have a record of winning five, drawing two and losing one. This is a very encouraging statistic going into a game for a side looking for their first win of the season.
Predicted line-up
Southampton Swansea
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Suspensions/Injuries:
Southampton are missing new signing Jeremy Pied for the rest of the season, while Sofiane Boufal is still a few weeks away from making his league debut.
As for the Swans, Nathan Dyer is set to be out for two months due to surgery. Meanwhile, Guidolin told reporters he would have no problem playing Neil Taylor, despite subbing him off before half-time the week before, producing an angry response from the player. Youngster Alfie Mawson and new striker Borja Baston are close to full-fitness, and may make the bench.
Our prediction
The Saints will be desperate for their first win of the season, and after performances in mid-week and at the Emirates, they will be confident they can get it. However, the Swans will be full of momentum from the game last week, and they will fancy their chances. All the stats suggest a home win, but don’t be surprised if the away side come away from this with a narrow 0-1 or 1-2 win, and really put pressure on the new Saints manager.
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