Southampton will look to pick up their first win of the Premier League campaign when they host Everton at St. Mary’s on Saturday.
Southampton are on a four-match losing streak in the Premier League, and the home fans will expect a strong performance against Everton at St. Mary’s on Saturday. It will be interesting to see if the players can step up and deliver.
On the other hand, Everton have shown improvement in recent weeks, and they are unbeaten in their last five league games. The Toffees will look to build on that and pull further clear of the relegation zone with a win.
The away side will look to take advantage of Southampton’s poor form and grind out a morale-boosting away win. The Saints have failed to win their last 22 Premier League games, and they will need a major slice of luck to grind out all three points this weekend.
Southampton are one of the favourites to go down this season, and it remains to be seen whether they can turn things around. They cannot afford to keep dropping points if they want to stay in the Premier League next season. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Southampton
Southampton will be without Gavin Bazunu due to an Achilles injury. Meanwhile, Ross Stewart and William Smallbone will miss out due to calf and thigh injuries, respectively.
The home team will shape up in a 3-5-2 formation, with Aaron Ramsdale in goal. In the back three, Taylor Harwood-Bellis will start alongside Jan Bednarek and Nathan Wood. Yukinari Sugawara and Kyle Walker-Peters will start as the wing-backs. The Southampton wide duo will look to protect the centre-backs and hit Everton on the break.
As for the midfield unit, Joe Aribo will start alongside Flynn Downes and Lesley Ugochukwu in the middle of the park. They will look to protect the side defensively and control the tempo of the game. Adam Armstrong will start alongside Ben Brereton Diaz in the final third.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Ramsdale; Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Wood; Sugawara, Aribo, Ugochukwu, Downes, Walker-Peters; Armstrong, Diaz
Everton
Everton are without Armando Broja because of a calf injury, Youssef Chermiti due to an ankle issue. Tim Iroegbunam due to an ankle injury, Nathan Patterson due to a lack of match fitness, and James Garner due to a lower back injury.
The Toffees will shape up in a 4-4-1-1 formation, with Jordan Pickford in goal. Seamus Coleman and Vitaliy Mykolenko will start as the full-backs. They will look to help out at both ends of the pitch. James Tarkowski will start in the central defensive pairing alongside Jarrad Branthwaite.
Jack Harrison and Dwight McNeil will start in the wide areas. They will look to add pace and flair from the flanks. Abdoulaye Doucoure and Idrissa Gueye will start in the midfield, and they will look to add defensive cover and drive to the side. Beto will start in the central attacking midfield role, behind Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who will lead the line for Everton against Southampton.
Probable Lineup (4-4-1-1): Pickford; Coleman, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Harrison, Doucoure, Gueye, McNeil; Beto; Calvert-Lewin
Key Stats
- Southampton have failed to win their last 22 matches in the Premier League.
- Everton are undefeated in their last five matches in the Premier League.
- 15 goals have been scored in the last six matches between Southampton and Everton.
- The last three meetings between Southampton and Everton have seen both sides get on the score sheet.
- Southampton have conceded 19 goals in nine league matches this season.
Player to Watch
Dominic Calvert-Lewin
The Everton striker is our key player to watch out for. Southampton have been extremely poor defensively this season, and he has the qualities to exploit their vulnerabilities. The Saints will struggle to deal with Calvert-Lewin’s physicality and aerial prowess as well. Everton will certainly expect him to do some damage here and get on the score sheet.
Prediction
Southampton 1-2 Everton
The home team will be desperate to put up a fight here, and they will look to pick up their first win of the season. However, Southampton are quite poor defensively, and they will struggle to contain the Everton attack.
The Toffees are full of confidence right now after their recent results. Sean Dyche’s men are unbeaten in the last five league games and they have the momentum with them. Everton will certainly fancy their chances of getting all three points here. This is likely to be a close contest, but a narrow away win for Everton is on the cards.