With week six of the Premier League edging close, it will be Southampton who will lock horns with Bournemouth at St. Mary’s. Both teams are currently level on points but it’s the cherries who a spot above Southampton courtesy the goal difference.
Match Details:
Date- Saturday, September 21
Time- 12:30 AM (IST)
Venue- St. Mary’s Stadium
Southampton Team News:
Though the Saints started off with two early defeats in the ongoing season, the resilience displayed by Ralph Hasenhutti and his men has been commendable, to say the least.
In the last four games, Southampton has won three, which also includes a 1-0 victory versus Fulham in the league cup, and as a result, are unbeaten in four which also includes a 1-1 draw to Manchester United.
If Southampton registers a win over the weekend, then they’ll temporarily move to the third spot in the league table while being level on points with Manchester City.
Main-man Nathan Redmond, who’s started off the campaign with seven goals and four assists will be unavailable due to an ankle injury he sustained prior to the international break. However, a fitness test is to be held soon for the attacker.
Djenepo is expected to be on the sidelines due to an undisclosed injury.
Bournemouth Team News:
Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth side are fresh from a 3-1 win against Everton but have shown signs of inconsistency in the League as they’ve suffered a 2-1 and 3-1 defeat to Leicester and Manchester City respectively.
The Cherries are currently ongoing an injury crisis with eight first-team players on the sidelines.
Adam Smith, Charlie Daniels, Arnaut Groenveld, Junior Stanislas, and Dan Gosling will be away from footballing action for quite some time.
Simon Francis and Lloyd Kelly are on their road to recovery and could be seen on the bench for the game against Southampton.
Ryan Fraser could be given the nod by Eddie Howe in the eleven, as he came off the bench to score a goal against Everton.
Predicted Lineups:
Southampton- Gunn; Bednarek, Yoshida, Vestergaard, Cedric, Romeu, Hojbjerg, S Boufal; Ward-Prowse, Armstrong
Bournemouth- Ramsdale; Stacey, Cook, Ake, Rico; H Wilson, Lerma, Billing, Fraser, King, C Wilson
Key Points:
Only Liverpool has secured more points than Southampton in the last three Premier League games.
Southampton has remained unbeaten in the last six encounters with Bournemouth, by winning two and drawing four.
With Redmond being doubtful and Djenepo out of contention due to injury, Sofiane Boufal will be given a go up front. Boufal has two assists in two appearances for Southampton.
For Bournemouth, Callum Wilson seems to be the man in form as he scored a brace against Everton last week and now has three goals in total under his belt.
Prediction:
Though Bournemouth has displayed glimpses of purpose and positivity in their play, it’s the inconsistency in results which gets the better of them. Having said that Southampton hasn’t been defeated at St. Mary’s by the Cherries in the last eight occasions.
Southampton under the management of Ralph Hasenhutti looks more cohesive and consistent as a unit, which is why the Saints walk in as favourites to win this.
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SOU vs BOU Fantasy Team: