Ryan Bertrand and Cedric Soares will both miss Sunday’s match at St Mary’s, with Shane Long also a doubt.
Southampton’s Ryan Bertrand
Speaking in his pre-match press conference broadcast on the club’s official Twitter account, Southampton manager Claude Puel has confirmed that both his first choice full-backs will be absent for their match against Burnley on Sunday afternoon.
Ryan Bertrand picked up a hamstring strain in England’s win over Malta last weekend which keeps the former Chelsea man out, while Cedric Soares damaged ligaments in his foot against Leicester and pulled out of Portugal’s squad prior to their matches over the international break.
Southampton’s Cedric Soares in action with West Ham United’s Dimitri Payet
“Cedric will have two or three weeks without training,” Puel said. “I hope he comes back quickly because he’s important for the group and we have all these games in a short time.”
Saints have a particularly hectic schedule coming up; they face Inter Milan in the San Siro on Thursday evening before making the trip to the Etihad to play Manchester City next Sunday, while the following Wednesday sees Puel’s side take on Sunderland in the League Cup.
Cedric has played all seven of Southampton’s Premier League matches so far after a victorious European Championships with Portugal in the summer, but Puel said that his side have options in the right-back area.
Maya Yoshida could deputise at full-back
“Maya Yoshida can play full-back as can Cuco [Martina],” he said. “Full-backs are very important for the play in our team, they have to be defensive and offensive.”
Both Cedric and Bertrand have been key in Southampton’s excellent defensive run, which has seen Saints keep six consecutive clean sheets in all competitions.
Southampton’s Shane Long in action with Leicester City’s Kasper Schmeichel
At the other end of the field, Shane Long is a doubt for Sunday’s match due to a hamstring injury he picked up in Ireland’s win over Moldova. He ended his personal 18-match goal drought in the victory but hobbled off just after the hour and will be assessed in training tomorrow.
Will Southampton cope without their full-backs and beat Burnley? Leave your predictions below.
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