Southampton Seek Revival as Swansea Visit St Mary’s
After suffering relegation from the Premier League last season, Southampton handed Will Still the task of leading their charge back to the top flight. But the young coach’s start to life on the south coast has been far from convincing.
The former Reims and Lens manager has registered just two wins, five draws, and two defeats from his opening nine Championship games, leaving the Saints struggling to build momentum.
Southampton have managed just one victory in their last six league fixtures (D4, L2) — that coming in a narrow win over Sheffield United at the end of September. They followed that up with a 1-1 draw at Derby County, where Adam Armstrong’s early strike was cancelled out by Patrick Agyemang.
Still’s men will be desperate to collect three points at St Mary’s on Saturday to reignite their campaign, particularly after going three home matches without a win since their opening-day triumph over Wrexham.
One positive omen for the hosts is their recent record against Swansea City — they’ve won four of the last five home meetings, including a commanding 3-0 FA Cup victory back in January.
Swansea Aim to Bounce Back
Swansea City, meanwhile, sit just inside the top half of the table after collecting 12 points from nine games, leaving them three points off the playoff spots ahead of their visit to the south coast.
However, Alan Sheehan’s side have struggled for consistency of late, winning just one of their last four matches since their EFL Cup victory over Nottingham Forest.
Narrow defeats to Birmingham City and a draw with Millwall were followed by a hard-fought 2-1 win over Blackburn Rovers, but their momentum was halted before the international break in a 3-1 home defeat to Leicester City. Despite Adam Idah equalising from the penalty spot, two late Foxes goals sealed Swansea’s first home loss of the season.
The Welsh outfit will now be aiming for their first win over Southampton since 2017, and their first at St Mary’s since 2015.
Team News
Southampton:
Forward Ross Stewart has been ruled out for the rest of the year after sustaining an injury in the draw with Derby. Tom Fellows, who replaced him that day, is expected to start this weekend.
Meanwhile, Welington remains sidelined as he continues his recovery from an ankle problem.
Predicted XI:
McCarthy; Edwards, Wood, Quarshie, Manning; Jander, Charles; Fellows, Scienza, Fraser; Armstrong
Swansea City:
New signing Ricardo Santos is still unavailable due to a lingering knee issue, delaying his debut. Ethan Galbraith and Zeidane Inoussa are pushing for recalls after starting on the bench against Leicester.
Zan Vipotnik is expected to lead the attack once again, having scored four goals in eight Championship appearances this term.
Predicted XI:
Vigouroux; Key, Cabango, Burgess, Tymon; Franco, Stamenic, Galbraith; Ronald, Inoussa, Vipotnik
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