Southampton and Leicester City are set to clash in a highly anticipated Championship match, with both teams looking to bounce back from unexpected defeats in their previous outings.
On the same day, Southampton endured a shocking 5-0 loss to Sunderland, while the Foxes stumbled at home against Hull City. As a result, both teams currently find themselves in seventh and third place in the league table, respectively.
Match Preview
Russell Martin, the manager of Southampton, had reason to be pleased with his team’s start to the season, having garnered 10 points from their first four matches.
However, the optimism generated during the initial weeks faded as Southampton suffered a humiliating defeat to Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.
While Southampton’s defense had shown vulnerability, conceding seven goals in their first four fixtures, the manner in which they succumbed to the Black Cats was particularly concerning.
The recent acquisition of Taylor Harwood-Bellis may prove to be a game-changer in the long run, but Martin must be cautious not to place too much pressure on the young defender, as the entire team needs to improve defensively.
On a positive note, Southampton currently sits in seventh place and has an opportunity to leapfrog their upcoming opponents in the standings.
Like Southampton, Leicester City has yet to display convincing form under their new head coach, Enzo Maresca, in the early stages of the season.
However, they managed to secure six successive wins, albeit without scoring more than twice in a single game, before their loss to Hull before the international break.
Even when falling behind early in the match, Maresca and his players would have expected to overturn the deficit, but it was Hull who impressively held on to claim maximum points.
Although Leicester remains just one point off the top spot, the defeat to Hull serves as a reminder that they must maintain consistent quality if they are to secure an immediate return to the Premier League.
Southampton Championship form: WDWL
Southampton form (all competitions): WLDWWL
Leicester City Championship form: WWWWL
Leicester City form (all competitions): WWWWWL
Team News
With Che Adams remaining at Southampton, the Scotland international could be reinserted into the starting lineup, potentially replacing Sekou Mara.
Harwood-Bellis is set to make his debut, likely partnering with Jan Bednarek in defense. Shea Charles, Carlos Alcaraz, and Ryan Fraser are also vying for starting opportunities.
Will Smallbone demonstrated his fitness after an ankle injury against Sunderland and during the international break with the Republic of Ireland, making him a likely starter in this match.
Leicester boss Maresca may revert to a 4-3-3 formation after a switch to a back three failed against Hull. This change could see Ricardo Pereira and Callum Doyle as full-backs, with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in a central midfield role.
Stephy Mavididi may return on one of the flanks, with either Yunus Akgun or Kasey McAteer dropping to the bench.
Southampton possible starting lineup:
- Bazunu
- Walker-Peters
- Bednarek
- Harwood-Bellis
- Manning
- Smallbone
- Downes
- S.Armstrong
- A.Armstrong
- Adams
- Edozie
Leicester City possible starting lineup:
- Hermansen
- Pereira
- Faes
- Vestergaard
- Doyle
- Ndidi
- Winks
- Dewsbury-Hall
- Mavididi
- Iheanacho
- McAteer
Prediction
Given their recent performances, we anticipate a closely contested match, one that may favor the visiting team.
Nevertheless, Southampton has likely benefited from additional training time following recent setbacks, leading us to predict a hard-fought draw.