Southampton and Leicester City will be desperate to return to winning ways when they meet at St. Mary’s on Saturday.
The games are coming thick and fast across Europe, with Gameweek 26 beginning in the Premier League. The latest round of fixtures starts with a potentially feisty match between Manchester City and Newcastle United on Saturday. And the action on the day will end with the meeting between Southampton and Leicester City and St. Mary’s.
Time is running out for Southampton to turn around their grim fortunes and remain in the Premier League. A 1-0 win over Chelsea had earned Ruben Selles a permanent gig as the Saints’ boss until the end of the season. But they have since lost to Leeds United and Grimsby Town, with the latter booting them out of the FA Cup. And they head into Gameweek 26 rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table.
On the other hand, Leicester City also went out of the FA Cup against lower-league opposition. They lost 2-1 to Blackburn Rovers, with the result extending their losing streak to three. And the recent defeats in the Premier League have dropped the Foxes to 14th, just three points outside the relegation zone.
The reverse fixture saw Southampton come from two goals down to beat Leicester City 2-1, with Che Adams scoring a match-winning brace. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Southampton
🎙 Watch Rubén Sellés preview #SaintsFC’s clash with #LCFC at St Mary’s: https://t.co/L8hU4E93mc
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) March 3, 2023
Ruben Selles does not have any new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against Southampton on Saturday, the Leicester City manager might be bereft of the services of four first-team players.
Mohammed Salisu and Che Adams are the most notable absentees, with the duo still recovering from respective knocks. In addition, Juan Larios (hamstring) and Valentino Livramento (knee) remain on the sidelines, although they are closing in on their returns.
Selles should line Southampton up in a 4-4-2 formation he has preferred thus far in his stint with Southampton. So Gavin Bazunu will take his spot between the sticks, with Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Jan Bednarek, Armel Bella-Kotchap, and Romain Perraud forming a compact backline.
The quartet will have a second block of four protecting them. But the wide midfielders will also look to provide a direct threat in the final third with their runs. The duo will also support the central midfielders during the defensive phases.
James Ward-Prowse and Romeo Lavia pick themselves as the central midfielders. Meanwhile, Stuart Armstrong and Mohamed Elyounoussi should be the two wide midfielders. Finally, Paul Onuachu and Kamaldeen Sulemana should be the two strikers for Southampton against Leicester City.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Bazunu; Maitland-Niles, Bednarek, Bella-Kotchap, Perraud; Stuart Armstrong, Ward-Prowse, Lavia, Elyounoussi; Sulemana, Onuachu
Leicester City
Unlike his counterpart in the Southampton dugout, Brendan Rodgers has greeted positive updates on the team news front ahead of the trip to St. Mary’s. The Leicester City manager will be without four first-team players on Saturday.
James Maddison has resumed training and should be fit enough to start on Saturday. The English playmaker will have much of the hopes of Leicester City riding on him against Southampton. But James Justin (Achilles), Jonny Evans (hamstring), Ryan Bertrand (knee), and Youri Tielemans (ankle) remain on the sidelines.
"It's a really big game." – Brendan Rodgers on #SOULEI 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/3vHjt2b94z
— Leicester City (@LCFC) March 2, 2023
Danny Ward will take his usual spot between the sticks on Saturday, with Leicester City lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him. And the backline will likely feature Timothy Castagne, Harry Souttar, Wout Faes, and Victor Kristiansen. Souttar and Faes continue to forge their partnership, while Castagne and Kristiansen will need to be more expressive in the final third.
Nampalys Mendy will look to hold the fort in the middle of the park, with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall likely embracing more defensive responsibility. But Dewsbury-Hall will also often charge forward to create a 4-1-4-1 when the hosts look to pile on the pressure on Southampton.
Maddison will be the creator-in-chief for Leicester, looking to pull the strings in the final third. The English international will join Tete and Harvey Barnes as the support act for the central striker. Finally, Kelechi Iheanacho will likely spearhead the attack, with Jamie Vardy and Patson Daka being the backup options on the bench.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Ward; Castagne, Souttar, Faes, Kristiansen; Mendy, Dewsbury-Hall; Tete, Maddison, Barnes; Iheanacho
Key Stats
- Southampton will be looking to complete the league double over Leicester for the first time since 2007/08 in the Championship. They last did so as a top-flight club in 1986/87. Since losing 3-0 at St. Mary’s in January 2017, the Foxes are unbeaten in their last five away league games against Southampton (W3 D2), scoring 18 goals in the process (3.6 per game).
- Leicester City have won eight of their last ten Premier League games against sides starting the day bottom of the table (D1 L1), with the only defeat coming at Norwich in February 2020. The Foxes have won their last four against such opposition by an aggregate score of 12-2.
- Southampton are winless in their last eight Premier League home games (D2 L6), losing the last five in a row. They have never lost six consecutive home games in their league history.
- Leicester City have conceded the first goal in their last seven league games (W2 D1 L4). The Foxes have never let in first in eight consecutive Premier League matches before. Meanwhile, Southampton have conceded the first goal more than any other Premier League side this season (18).
- Leicester’s Premier League away games have seen more goals scored than any other side’s this season (49), with the Foxes having the fourth-highest goal tally on the road (21), and the third-highest goals conceded total (28).
Player to Watch
James Maddison
Brendan Rodgers will be delighted to have James Maddison back in the fold after a few games out. The Englishman has Leicester City’s hopes riding on him this season, and the Foxes’ fans will hope he remains injury-free for the rest of the campaign. Meanwhile, Maddison has a fantastic record against Southampton.
The 26-year-old has scored more Premier League goals against Southampton than any other opponent (5). And Maddison has also found the back of the net in his last three appearances against the Saints. As he considers his long-term future, he will remain focused on the job at hand on the pitch.
Prediction
Southampton 1-2 Leicester City
Neither team has inspired much confidence in the last few weeks. And both have similar themes surrounding their runs of form in recent games. Just when Southampton and Leicester City look to be turning a corner, they embark on disastrous streaks of winless results.
But James Maddison’s impending return gives the visitors the advantage heading into Saturday’s fixture. The English international should deliver the goods for Leicester City, who will beat Southampton by the odd goal in three. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Brendan Rodgers and his charges.
