Southampton will host Fulham at St. Mary’s on Saturday, looking to salvage some pride as they prepare for life in the EFL Championship.
Southampton have already been relegated to the EFL Championship, and they have nothing left to play for in the game vs Fulham. The Saints have failed to win the last nine league matches, and it will be interesting to see if they can give the home fans something to cheer about.
Meanwhile, Fulham are coming into this game on the back of consecutive defeats in the Premier League. They will look to bounce back strongly. The Cottagers have lost four of their last six top-flgiht outings. Marco Silva’s men are certainly the better team here and they will be expected to find out all three points.
Fulham failed to pick up a win over Southampton earlier on in the season, and it will be interesting to see if they can get the job done here. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Southampton
Charlie Taylor and Albert Gronbaek are missing due to injury. Southampton will shape up in a 3-4-2-1 formation vs Fulham, 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 Fulham on the break. As for the midfield unit, Mateus Fernandes will start alongside Flynn Downes, and they will look to add physicality and defensive cover to the side.
Kamaldeen Sulemana will start alongside Tyler Dibling in the wide areas, and they will look to create goalscoring opportunities for their teammates. Finally, Cameron Archer will lead the line for Southampton vs Fulham on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Ramsdale; Harwood-Bellis, Wood, Bednarek; Sugawara, Fernandes, Downes, Walker-Peters; Dibling, Sulemana; Archer
Fulham
Marco Silva will be without Reiss Nelson due to a thigh injury. Fulham are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Southampton, with Bernd Leno in goal. Timothy Castagne and Antonee Robinson will start as the full-backs. They will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch. Issa Diop will start alongside Joachim Andersen at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Sasa Lukic will start alongside Andreas Pereira, and they will add defensive cover and drive to the side. Emile Smith Rowe will start as the attacking midfielder, and he will look to create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates.
Adama Traore and Alex Iwobi will start on the flanks, and they will add pace, flair and goals to the side. Finally, Rodrigo Muniz will spearhead the Fulham attack vs Southampton on Sunday afternoon.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Leno; Castagne, Diop, Andersen, Robinson; Lukic, Pereira; Traore, Smith Rowe, Iwobi; Muniz
Key Stats
- 10 goals have been scored in the last six matches between these two teams.
- Fulham have lost four of the last six matches in the Premier League.
- Southampton have lost four of the last six matches in the Premier League.
- Fulham have picked up just two wins from the last six Premier League matches.
- Southampton have failed to win their last nine matches in the Premier League.
Player to Watch
Rodrigo Muniz
The Brazilian striker is our key player to watch out for. Muniz will look to continue his impressive form this season and get on the score sheet here. Southampton have been quite vulnerable defensively, and they have conceded 78 goals in 33 league matches.
Muniz will certainly look to trouble them in the final third with his link-up play, movement and finishing ability. Fulham will need the 23-year-old to step up and deliver in the final third, if they want to grind out all three points.
Prediction
Southampton 1-2 Fulham
Both teams will be desperate for a win for very different reasons. Southampton do not have anything to lose, and they are likely to put in their best efforts for the remainder of the campaign.
Fulham, on the other hand, will look to bounce back strongly from their disappointing run of form. Both teams are likely to get on the score sheet, but the visitors have more quality in their attack, and they should be able to edge this one. Southampton’s poor defensive unit is likely to let them down here. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Marco Silva and his charges.
