Southampton will be hoping to get one over on their old boss Claude Puel when they meet Leicester City in the Premier League on Wednesday.
Southampton will be hoping that they will be able to get one over on Claude Puel when they host Leicester City at St Mary’s on Wednesday night.
Puel spent just one season with the Saints, leading them to the League Cup final – a final which saw them outplay Manchester United for the most part – before departing in the summer, and returning to the Premier League earlier this season when he succeeded Craig Shakespeare at the King Power Stadium.
Mauricio Pellegrino is now in charge of the south coast side, and after a slow start to the campaign, he appears to be gradually winning the supporters over – most recently, overseeing a very impressive draw against Arsenal where only a late Olivier Giroud header denied them the three points.
Given the encouragement that the Saints will have taken from that performance, it would not be a surprise if Pellegrino limited the changes for the game against the Foxes.
That may mean that the likes of Jack Stephens and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg – who were both exceptional against the Gunners – keep their places in the team, while Jeremy Pied and Mario Lemina remain on the bench.
The one change may come further forward with Sofiane Boufal replacing James Ward-Prowse in attacking midfield. On his day, Boufal is capable of making things happen out of nothing, but of course, Ward-Prowse’s brilliant set-piece deliveries would mean that it would not be a surprise if he kept his place either.
With that in mind, here is a look at the Southampton team we expecting in full…
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