Southampton and Watford will compete at St Mary’s Stadium for a chance to face Liverpool in the FA Cup’s fifth round on Tuesday night.
The Saints continued their impressive unbeaten streak this weekend at Rotherham United, while Watford experienced an unexpected loss to Cardiff City.
Match preview
On Saturday, Southampton took their unbeaten streak in all competitions to 23 games with a win against Rotherham, who are fighting relegation.
The visitors dominated, starting strong with Jan Bednarek scoring early, followed by Adam Armstrong’s 15th goal of the season before halftime. This brings Armstrong’s total contributions to 26 goals in 29 matches.
Russell Martin’s team is now second in the Championship, closely trailing Ipswich Town and well behind the leaders, Leicester City. Armstrong, alongside Che Adams, who has scored eight goals, is a key player for Southampton’s success.
In the initial match against Watford, it seemed Southampton might lose their unbeaten run, but Stuart Armstrong’s clever shot ensured their progression to the fifth round.
After tying with Southampton, Watford had a time in the Championship, drawing with Sheffield Wednesday and then challenging losing to Cardiff. Despite controlling the game, they couldn’t overcome Cardiff’s defense.
Watford, aiming for a quick return to the Premier League, is currently 11th in the Championship, just outside the playoff spots. They need to overcome a history of draws against Southampton to advance to the next round.
Both teams have historically had close matches, with their last three encounters ending in draws. Watford has struggled to beat Southampton at Vicarage Road in their recent meetings.
While Watford has never won the FA Cup, they reached the final in the 2018-19 season but were defeated by Manchester City.
Southampton FA Cup form:
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Southampton form (all competitions):
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Watford FA Cup form:
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Watford form (all competitions):
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Team News
Southampton will be without Joe Aribo due to his participation in the Africa Cup of Nations. Ross Stewart is also out with a muscle injury, having played only 17 minutes since joining the team.
Kamaldeen Sulemana is expected to return from a hamstring injury in mid-February.
For Watford, Edo Kayembe is sidelined with a calf injury. Mileta Rajovic and Emmanuel Dennis, who were substitutes in the last game, are likely to start against Southampton.
Southampton possible starting lineup:
Bazunu;
Walker-Peters, Stephens, Harwood-Bellis, Manning;
Downes, Rothwell, Charles;
Brooks, Mara, Fraser
Watford possible starting lineup:
Hamer;
Andrews, Pollock, Hoedt, Lewis;
Livermore, Kone, Chakvetadze, Asprilla;
Dennis, Rajovic
Prediction: Southampton 3-1 Watford
With home advantage, Southampton is in a good position to win this crucial match and extend their unbeaten run to 24 games on Tuesday night.
Despite Watford’s potential threat up front, we predict Southampton will end Watford’s FA Cup journey here.
