Southampton will host Bournemouth at St. Mary’s on Saturday, desperate to build on their win over Ipswich in their last Premier League game.
Southampton have lost 19 of their 25 league matches, and they are at the bottom of the Premier League table ahead of the game against Bournemouth at home this weekend. The Saints need to raise their performance levels to grind out a positive result here.
Meanwhile, Bournemouth are coming into this game on the back of four wins from their last six matches in all competitions. The Cherries are seventh in the Premier League table, and they will push for European qualification this season.
Andoni Iraola has an impressive squad, and the visitors will certainly fancy their chances against one of the worst teams in the division. It will be interesting to see if Bournemouth can grind out all three points.
Southampton are struggling with a lack of confidence and momentum. Even though they have beaten Ipswich in their last Premier League game, they will be the underdogs heading into this contest. 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 Ross Stewart due to a calf injury, while Jack Stephens misses out with a knock. Tyler Dibling is ruled out for several weeks as well. The home side will shape up in a 3-5-2 formation, with Aaron Ramsdale in goal.
Taylor Harwood-Bellis will start alongside Jan Bednarek and Nathan Wood in the back three. Yukinari Sugawara and Kyle Walker-Peters will start as the wing-backs. They will look to keep things tight at the back and hit Bournemouth on the break.
Joe Aribo will start alongside Flynn Downes and Lesley Ugochukwu in the middle of the park. They will look to add physicality, defensive cover, and drive to the side. Adam Armstrong will start alongside Ben Brereton Diaz in the strike partnership.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Ramsdale; Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Wood; Sugawara, Aribo, Ugochukwu, Downes, Walker-Peters; Armstrong, Diaz
Bournemouth
The away side will be without Julian Araujo due to a thigh injury, Alex Scott due to a knee injury, Luis Sinisterra due to a hamstring injury, Marcos Senesi because of a thigh injury, Adam Smith due to a knock, Enes Unal due to a knee injury, Evanilson due to a metatarsal fracture, and James Hill due to a thigh injury. Julio Soler is away on international duty.
Bournemouth will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Southampton, with Kepa Arrizabalaga in goal. Lewis Cook and Milos Kerkez will start as the full-backs. They will look to help out at both ends of the pitch. Illia Zabarnyi will pair up alongside Dean Huijsen at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Ryan Christie will start alongside Tyler Adams in the double pivot, and they will look to help out defensively. David Brooks will reprise the attacking midfield role, and he will look to create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates.
Justin Kluivert and Antoine Semenyo will start in the wide areas, and they will look to add pace and flair to the side. Dango Ouattara will lead the line for Bournemouth vs Southampton at St. Mary’s on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kepa; Cook, Zabarnyi, Huijsen, Kerkez; Tyler, Christie; Semenyo, Brooks, Kluivert; Ouattara
Key Stats
- Bournemouth have won their last three away matches vs Southampton across all competitions.
- There have been over 2.5 goals scored in Southampton’s last six games in the Premier League.
- Southampton have lost five of their last six league matches.
- 16 goals have been scored in the last six matches between these two teams.
- Bournemouth are unbeaten in five of their last six matches in all competitions.
Player to Watch
Antoine Semenyo
The Bournemouth attacker has been in impressive form this season, and he has been linked with multiple clubs as a result of that. He will look to continue performing at a high level and put himself in the shop window for the upcoming summer transfer window.
The Ghanaian international will look to help create opportunities for his teammates with his technical ability, pace and flair. He will also look to find the back of the net and add to his goal tally for the season. The home team have been quite vulnerable defensively, and Semenyo could punish them with his efficiency in the final third.
Prediction
Southampton 1-2 Bournemouth
Both teams will look to pick up a win here for very different reasons. Southampton will look to give themselves a chance of staying in the Premier League next season, and the visitors will look to push for Europe qualification.
This is likely to be a close contest, and both teams are likely to get on the score sheet. However, the Cherries have more quality in the final third, and they should be able to grind out a narrow victory away from home. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Andoni Iraola and his charges.
