Southampton will hit the road to square up against Nottingham Forest as both teams look to survive in the English top flight.
Nottingham Forest are all set to host Southampton in the Premier League. Both teams are fighting for survival and must win the game. If the Saints fail to claim all three points, they might no longer have a chance at surviving the drop. Meanwhile, the Tricky Trees can force themselves out of the bottom three with a win in this fixture.
Nottingham Forest suffered a gut-wrenching loss to Brentford as they conceded two late goals, including one deflected off the head of goalkeeper Keylor Navas, leaving them in 18th place. The hosts, who have an expensive squad, has struggled defensively, failing to keep a clean sheet in 13 successive games.
However, they have shown belief in their abilities by beating high-flying Brighton & Hove Albion and giving Liverpool a tough time. The Tricky Trees have been successful at home this season. They have been beaten just twice at home since October. A win over Southampton could surely help their cause as they look to survive relegation.
Southampton stunned Newcastle United with a 41st-minute opener from Stuart Armstrong. But half-time substitute Callum Wilson turned the game around with a brace to sink the Saints. They are currently bottom in the league and only a miracle could save them from here on. They will have to start winning and try to accumulate as many points as possible to have a slight chance of survival.
But, their recent form hasn’t been that good. They have lost four out of their last five matches. The Saints will have to be at their very best to have a chance of claiming all three points in this fixture. A defeat to Nottingham Forest would put the Saints on the brink of relegation, with just three games remaining, and they face a tough schedule against three top-half teams.
In the reverse fixture between the two, the Tricky Trees came out on top with a 1-0 scoreline. And, they will be hoping for something similar this time around. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at this fixture and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Team News & Tactics
Nottingham Forest
The home team still have quite a few injuries to deal with. The likes of Giulian Biancone, Dean Henderson, Chris Wood, Scott McKenna, Willy Boly, Neco Williams, Omar Richards, and Gustavo Scarpa are all out injured. Meanwhile, it remains to be seen whether Jack Colback and Jonjo Shelvey will be fit in time to take part in this fixture.
Last time out at the CG ✨ pic.twitter.com/ZqcMZTHDjv
— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) May 7, 2023
Steve Cooper already had quite a few absentees to deal with. But it seems he now has a few more on the list. Danilo and Brennan Johnson, both picked up a knock in their last outing. The home team will start with the 3-4-2-1 formation, where Keylor Navas will be in goal. Moussa Niakhaté, Joe Worrall and Felipe will form the back three.
Meanwhile, Renan Lodi and Serge Aurier will feature out wide in the centre of the park as the wing-backs. Remo Freuler will pair up with Orel Mangala as the central midfielders. The duo will be responsible for controlling the ball possession and dictating the pace of this fixture.
With Johnson a doubt for this outing we might see two attacking midfielders in Morgan Gibbs-White and Jesse Lingard sitting in behind their forward Taiwo Awoniyi.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Navas; Felipe, Worrall, Niakhate; Aurier, Freuler, Mangala, Lodi; Gibbs-White, Lingard; Awoniyi
Southampton
The visitors will be without the services of Romain Perraud, Juan Larios, Mohammed Salisu and Valentino Livramento who are all out injured.
Get well soon, Romain 🙏
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) May 5, 2023
Rubén Selles will start with the 4-2-3-1 formation, where Alex McCarthy could start in goal. Meanwhile, the back four will consist of Lyanco, Jan Bednarek, Armel Bella-Kotchap and Kyle Walker-Peters.
Lyanco and Walker-Peters will be the full-backs whole Bednarek and Bella-Kotchap will pair up in the heart of the defence. As far as the midfield is concerned, Romeo Lavia and James Ward-Prowse will form the double pivot in front of the back four.
Stuart Armstrong and Kamaldeen Sulemana will feature out wide as the wingers. Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz will be the attacking midfielder. Alcaraz will be the centre of attraction in this fixture as he will be responsible to break the opposition’s defence and provide top-notch balls for their striker Che Adams.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): McCarthy; Lyanco, Bednarek, Bella-Kotchap, Walker-Peters; Lavia, Ward-Prowse; Stuart Armstrong, Alcaraz, Sulemana; Adams
Key Stats
- Nottingham Forest and Southampton both have the joint lowest Goal Difference (-32) in the ongoing season.
- The Tricky Trees have only won once in their last 13 PL outings.
- The Saints’ last away win in the league came on 13 February 2023.
- Southampton have failed to win any of their last nine league outings.
- Nottingham Forest have been in sensational form at home, they have lost just two of their last eight Premier League games on their home turf.
Player to Watch
Jesse Lingard
Despite failing to score or provide an assist in the current Premier League season, Jesse Lingard could still prove to be a crucial player for his team. He possesses excellent dribbling and passing abilities and has the pace and creativity to unlock defences.
The 30-year-old will be eager to prove himself as he is likely to start in this fixture. And, he might take the opposition by surprise. As the season reaches its climax and the pressure intensifies, Lingard may just come to the fore and prove his worth to his team.
Prediction
Nottingham Forest 2-1 Southampton
Nottingham Forest will host Southampton in a crucial match for both teams’ Premier League survival hopes. While the hosts have struggled defensively, they have been strong at home and will aim to secure a seventh home win of the season to push themselves further away from the relegation zone.
Southampton will be desperate for a win to avoid being relegated, but with a poor run of form and a tough schedule ahead, they face an uphill battle. Forest will likely have the upper hand in this match, and The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for the Tricky Trees.
I hope NF bring on Shelvey to shore up a score. Despite injury he is a class player. Best of luck from a Sherwood forest lover.