Southampton vs Bournemouth Preview
Watch Southampton vs Bournemouth Preview, as long last rivals Southampton and Bournemouth meets on the premier league in St. Mary’s Stadium.
As Southampton is on the bottom of the premier league table, Bournemouth will be on the position on the premier league.
Carlos Alcaraz and former Arsenal man Theo Walcott put the Saints two goals ahead inside the opening 14 minutes, before Gabriel Martinelli pulled one back. Substitute Duje Caleta-Car then got in on the act to restore Southampton’s two-goal cushion midway through the second half, but two late strikes from Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka, including a 90th-minute equaliser from the latter, forced both sides to share the spoils.
Few Southampton fans would have turned their noses up at claiming a point against the Gunners before kickoff, but to drop two valuable points in the dying embers would have been a bitter pill to swallow, and they remain rooted to the foot of the Premier League table.
The Saints, who are now winless in seven league matches, have just six fixtures remaining to reduce the four-point gap to safety, with Thursday’s clash against Bournemouth one of only two on the horizon against a fellow bottom-half team.
Southampton have lost 10 Premier League home games this season, the most in the division and their joint-most in a single league campaign, but they have won each of their last three meetings with Bournemouth in all competitions, including a 1-0 top-flight away victory in October, and success on Thursday would see the Saints complete their first league double over the Cherries since 2010-11.
Team News and Injury
Southampton will be without Che Adams (calf), Mohammed Salisu (hip) and Juan Larios (hamstring) due to injury, while Valentino Livramento continues to build up his fitness with the club’s B team.
Jan Bednarek was withdrawn in the first half of the draw with Arsenal after landing awkwardly on his neck and the defender will be assessed ahead of kickoff; either Caleta-Car or Lyanco could start alongside Armel Bella-Kotchap if the Polish centre-back is not deemed fit to feature.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles is available for selection after he was ineligible to face parent club Arsenal, and he could be recalled at right-back with either Kyle Walker-Peters or Romain Perraud starting at left-back.
Alcaraz starred as an advanced midfielder in the first half against Arsenal before being taken off at half time on a yellow card, and the 20-year-old is expected to keep his place in the first XI behind central striker Walcott.
As for Bournemouth, Ryan Fredericks (calf) and Junior Stanislas (unspecified) are set to remain sidelined, while Hamed Traore will be assessed after missing the last three games with a foot injury.
Jack Stephens, on loan from Southampton, is ineligible to face his parent club, so either Marcos Senesi or Illya Zabarnyi is set to be handed a start at centre-back alongside Chris Mepham. Lloyd Kelly, meanwhile, could shift to left-back if Gary O’Neil decides to revert to a back four.
Joe Rothwell and Jefferson Lerma could retain their partnership in centre-midfield, while Philip Billing and Dominic Solanke, who have scored nine of Bournemouth’s 16 away goals between then this term, are set to continue in attack.
Southampton vs Bournemouth Head-to-Head stats
The two southern English rivals have squared off 33 times in all competitions. The meeting between them is sometimes referred to as the New Forest derby. The hosts have a better record in these games with 16 wins. The visitors have been able to get the better of the hosts eight times while nine games have ended in draws.
The hosts have suffered just one defeat in their last 10 meetings against the visitors and have recorded three wins in a row, keeping clean sheets in these wins. Southampton have scored at least two goals in seven of their last nine meetings against the visitors.
The visitors have the worst defensive record in the Premier League this season, conceding 63 goals in 32 games. They have outscored the hosts 31-27 in that period.
Southampton vs Bournemouth Prediction
Both sides are fully aware of the importance of securing maximum points on Thursday in their bid to avoid the drop, with the pressure particularly on Southampton’s shoulders as they are running out of games to climb out of the bottom three.
A slender win at the Vitality Stadium six months ago will provide some optimism for the Saints, but we believe that the Cherries will respond to their heavy defeat last time out and continue their strong away form with a victory at St Mary’s.
