Southampton visit Leicester City on Saturday, chasing their first Premier League win of the season and first win over the Foxes since 2020 with Danny Ings and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
Danny Ings and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in last Southampton XI to beat Leicester
Ralph Hasenhuttl has lost the faith of corners of the Southampton dressing room, with the Daily Mail reporting some Saints stars expected the St Mary’s hierarchy to fire the Austrian this summer. Some also expressed concerns over his management at the end of last term.
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Southampton saw out the 2021/22 Premier League season with nine defeats in their final 12 games. And their new campaign has not started with great success, losing 4-1 away at Tottenham Hotspur before a 2-2 draw with Leeds United to sit just 17th in the early table.
Hasenhuttl needed late goals from his £10m summer signing from Rangers, Joe Aribo, and Kyle Walker-Peters to come from two down to hold Leeds to a point on Saturday. Now, the Southampton boss takes his team to Leicester City this Saturday chasing a first win in five.
The Foxes have won two of their past four fixtures with Southampton since the Saints won in January 2020, drawing the other two. Brenden Rodgers’ squad also beat Hasenhuttl’s in an FA Cup clash in April 2021, while last season’s King Power Stadium meeting ended 4-1.
Hasenhuttl had won 2-1 in each of his first two trips to the King Power as a Premier League manager. But Southampton are yet to keep a single clean sheet over eight encounters with Leicester with the Austrian in all competitions so far, with 21 goals allowed to eight scored.
Stuart Armstrong and Danny Ings found the net to help Southampton to their last win over Leicester in January 2020. Dennis Praet had broken the deadlock for the home team in the 14th-minute. But the Foxes would only maintain their advantage for a mere five minutes.
Alex McCarthy (GK): Starter of last Southampton win over Leicester now the No.2
Alex McCarthy started the last time Southampton took a win over Leicester, but is now the Saints’ second-choice goalkeeper. Hasenhuttl bought Gavin Bazunu off Manchester City for an initial £12m, rising to £15m with potential add-ons, this June to be his new number one.
Bazunu starting against Tottenham and Leeds left McCarthy an unused substitute, having lost first-choice status to Fraser Forster last season. The 32-year-old – with 34 clean sheets in 129 games for the Saints – fell down the pecking order after a lengthy hamstring injury.
Cedric Soares (RB): Star of last Southampton win over Leicester soon joined Arsenal
Cedric Soares opened Southampton’s last win over Leicester, but the King Power affair was also one of the Portuguese’s final Saints fixtures. The 30-year-old right-back joined Arsenal in a half-season loan on deadline day that January, which they turned permanent for free.
Jack Stephens (CB): Ralph Hasenhuttl has lost faith in Saints defender this season
Hasenhuttl started Jack Stephens as Southampton last beat Leicester, but he has since lost faith in the defender. The 28-year-old has played in both of the Saints’ two Premier League games this season off the bench after 11 outings last term, to reach 151 games for the cub.
Jan Bednarek (CB): Poland defender will look to claim another win over Leicester
Jan Bednarek will target another win at Leicester on Saturday, having started in the Saints’ last win over the Foxes in 2020 and both of their Premier League games so far this season. The 42-cap Poland defender’s appearances this season have taken him to 152 for the club.
Ryan Bertrand (LB): Star of last Southampton win over Leicester now with Foxes
Ryan Bertrand joined Leicester from Southampton last year in a freebie, after allowing his contract on the south coast to expire. But the defender has endured a nightmare spell at the King Power, having required knee surgery in January and another operation this July.
The left-back first sustained his issue on Boxing Day last December following 11 outings for the Foxes across all competitions. He is yet to feature since and had also struggled to show the same levels Bertrand offered Southampton during 240 games between 2014 and 2021.
Stuart Armstrong (RM): Scored equaliser in last Southampton win over Leicester
Armstrong found the back of the Leicester net to draw Southampton level in his side’s last win over the Foxes. The 36-cap Scotland international moved to St Mary’s from Celtic back in 2018 for £7m, and has so far offered the Saints 28 goals and 25 assists from 144 games.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (CM): Tottenham ace led Southampton to last Leicester win
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg captained Southampton to their last win over Leicester from a deep-lying midfield role in January 2020. He also received a yellow card in the 72nd-minute, one of 22 for the Saints across 134 outings, before joining Tottenham in August 2020 for £15m.
James Ward-Prowse (CM): Southampton product took over captaincy in 2020
James Ward-Prowse took over the Southampton captaincy in June 2020 during Project Re-start, and continues to be an influential presence on the south coast. The Portsmouth-born Saints product has made 366 games for the St Mary’s side, plus 45 goals and 48 assists.
Nathan Redmond (LM): Winger waiting to re-enter Ralph Hasenhuttl’s line-up
Nathan Redmond is currently waiting for his chance to re-enter Hasenhuttl’s starting line-up after just one substitute showing this season. The 28-year-old also only started 20 of his 27 Premier League outings last term, to have 232 games for the Saints since joining in 2016.
Shane Long (ST): Assisted Stuart Armstrong to strike out Dennis Praet’s opener
Shane Long found Armstrong to strike out Praet’s opening effort for his third assist of the 2019/20 Premier League season. The forward would offer 27 assists and 37 goals over his 245 games with the Saints between joining in 2014 up to joining Reading for free this June.
Danny Ings (ST): Aston Villa star hit winner in last Southampton win over Leicester
Ings hit the back of Kasper Schmeichel’s net in the 81st-minute to finalise Southampton’s comeback and last win over Leicester. It marked the forward’s 14th Premier League goal of the 2019/20 season, which the 30-year-old would end with 22 from 38 outings altogether.
Hasenhuttl had bought Ings from Liverpool ahead of the 2019/20 campaign for £20m after an initial loan spell in 2018/19. He would go on to reach 100 games for the Saints with 46 goals and 10 assists before joining Aston Villa for £25m, rising up to £30m, in August 2021.
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