Southampton are hoping for an afternoon Christmas miracle when they host out-of-form Brentford on Saturday afternoon.
The Saints have lost both games under the tutelage of Ivan Juric and continue to explode at the foot of the table. They have collected just six points in the first half of the campaign and look set for a return to the Championship, with ten points separating them from safety.
Brentford will see Saturday’s trip south as the perfect opportunity to end their five-game winless run Arsenal are the latest to punish the bees out of class on New Year’s Day. Thomas Frank’s side are yet to win on the road, but have managed just two draws in nine Premier League trips.
here it is 90 minutes guide to a edgy adventure at St Mary’s.
Southampton vs Brentford H2H Record (last five matches)
Current form (all competitions)
|
Southampton |
Brentford |
|---|---|
|
Crystal Palace 2-1 Southampton – 29/12/24 |
Brentford 1-3 Arsenal – 01/25/01 |
|
Southampton – West Ham 0-1 – 26/12/24 |
Brighton 0-0 Brentford – 27/12/24 |
|
Fulham 0-0 Southampton – 22/12/24 |
Brentford 0-2 Nottingham Forest – 21/12/24 |
|
Southampton 1-2 Liverpool – 18/12/24 |
Newcastle 3-1 Brentford – 18/12/24 |
|
Southampton – Tottenham 0-5 – 15/12/24 |
Chelsea 2-1 Brentford – 15/12/24 |
|
country |
TV channel/live broadcast |
|---|---|
|
united kingdom |
Radio commentary and updates on talkSPORT, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio Solent and BBC London 94.9 |
|
united states |
peacock |
|
canada |
fuboTV Canada, Fubo Sports Network 6 Canada |
Southampton they are still without long-term absentees Gavin Bazunu, Juan Larios and Ross Stewart, while Jack Stephens is likely to miss the visit of Brentford with a knock. Will Smallbone is close to returning but could be out for the weekend.
Flynn Downes is being assessed ahead of kick-off after suffering a dead leg, but Southampton’s big mistake will be Mateus Fernandes. One of the club’s bright sparks this season, he has been suspended after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season against Crystal Palace last time out.
Expected line-up for Southampton v Brentford (5-2-1-2): Ramsdale; Bree, Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Wood, Walker-Peters; Ugochukwu, Yes; Dibling; Onuachu, Armstrong.
Injuries have been persistent and frustrating Brentford this season, but Frank has revealed that everyone who played against Arsenal is available on Saturday. That means the returning Mark Flekken, Sepp van den Berg and Mathias Jensen emerged unscathed from the defeat.
However, the Bees are still without a significant number of first team members. Fabio Carvalho is out with a groin injury, while Kristoffer Ajer, Rico Henry, Ben Mee, Aaron Hickey and Ethan Pinnock are absent in defence. Igor Thiago, Gustavo Nunes and Joshua Dasilva are also missing.
Predicted Brentford v Southampton line-up (4-3-1-2): The stain; Roerslev, Collins, Van den Berg, Lewis-Potter; Janelt, Norgaard, Jensen; Damsgaard; Mbeumo, Wissa.
Brentford have been in disappointing form of late as their injuries pile up, but they still have a wealth of impressive attacking options, mainly Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo. Kevin Schade could also have a big impact on the outcome, either off the bench or starting.
Southampton have never been out of trouble this season and have been defensively key. Things have improved since the departure of Russell Martin, but they still lack the quality at both ends of the ground needed to stay in the division.
Brentford could secure a first away win of the season at St Mary’s to heap more misery on the Saints.
