Southampton face Stoke City looking for just their third Premier League win of the season.
Southampton go into their game with Stoke City on Saturday looking for only their third win of the season at a ground where they have only lost once in the Premier League.
Mauricio Pellegrino’s men go into the contest having won just one of their previous five games in all competitions, and have only scored one goal during that run.
Their second-half performance in the narrow 1-0 defeat to Manchester United last weekend certainly suggests that there is still reason to be positive for the Saints, but another failure to find the back of the net will surely see some pressure start to build on Pellegrino.
The one change that fans may be hoping for following the spirited performance against Jose Mourinho’s men comes up front. Shane Long’s tireless running is certainly beneficial, but Manolo Gabbiadini’s quality in front of goal surely makes it a must for the Italian to start against the Potters.
Pellegrino may take a gamble on someone like Sofiane Boufal or even Charlie Austin perhaps, but Dusan Tadic and Nathan Redmond did create some chances against United, so they may well keep their places.
There is still no place in the predicted lineup for Virgil van Dijk though. The defender did not feature at all last weekend despite being brought on at Crystal Palace, so perhaps he may come on against Mark Hughes’ men if the Saints have a lead to protect late on.
Here is the lineup we are expecting in full…
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