In the Premier League’s early kick-off on Sunday afternoon, Mauricio Pochettino’s Southampton side will take on Michael Laudrup’s Swansea City at St. Mary’s.
The Saints have been in good form so far this season, conceding only two goals and finding themselves in sixth place in the league table. Swansea, while suffering heavy defeats at home to Manchester United and Arsenal, have won their last two away games and could win a third in a row for the first time on Sunday.
However, that could be difficult against a team with Southampton’s defensive capabilities. It should certainly prove an interesting encounter between the two clubs.
Team News
Pochettino should have a fully fit squad to choose from, so Southampton fans have nothing to worry about come Sunday.
Swansea are still without their captain, Ashley Williams thanks to an ankle ligament injury, and will also be without the services of Pablo Hernandez and Angel Rangel. Michu should be able to start, despite suffering a head injury in their Europa League game on Thursday night.
Interesting Statistics
- Eurosport has some interesting stats for this game:
- There have only been seven goals in games involving Southampton so far this season. This is a league low.
- Southampton have had the fewest amount of cards so far this season despite conceding the joint-most fouls (83).
- The last time Southampton kept four successive clean sheets was in September 2003.
- Swansea have never won three away games in a row.
- Michu has scored more goal scoring chances than any other Premier League player so far (15).
- The next goal that Swansea score in the Premier League will be their 100th in the competition.
Key Players
Southampton – Rickie Lambert
Lambert has been on a high these last few months. He had his first call up for England, in which he scored the winner against Scotland. He has also been in good form for his club, although he has yet to score from open play. Lambert has scored two goals from 10 shots on target in the league. With nine shots off target, he has a shooting accuracy of 53%. Now while these stats might not light up the league striker stakes, you can’t ignore the threat Lambert has in front of opposing defences and this is something that Swansea will plan for.
Swansea – Michu
Contrastingly, Michu has been hugely influential for Swansea once again this season. While he has only scored two league goals so far, he has created 15 chances for his team-mates which is the highest amount in the league at the moment. He has a shooting accuracy of 54% which is slightly better than Lambert’s 53%. Michu could have a devastating impact on the game if Southampton allow him to play freely.
Prediction
Despite Swansea’s good away form, I still see Southampton’s defence being too strong to shut down for them. There will be goals in the game but I don’t think it will be a free-for-all and so I predict it will finish 1-1.
