Southampton take on Leicester City in their next Premier League fixture on Saturday and will hope to beat the side managed by their former manager Claude Puel.
The Saints are winless in their last three Premier League games and will hope to end that run and climb out of the relegation spots come Saturday.
Southampton team news
Ralph Hasenhuttl will be missing out on the services of several first-team regulars through injury including Ryan Bertrand, Danny Ings, Mario Lemina and Maya Yoshida.
In addition, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg will be suspended while Stuart Armstrong is doubtful.
Predicted Southampton lineup vs Leicester City
Defence
Hasenhuttl is likely to stick to his three at the back formation, meaning Jan Bednarek and Jannik Vestergaard will continue to feature at the heart of the Southampton defence.
Jack Stephens, on the other hand, replaced Yoshida in central defence against Derby County last weekend and we expect him to deputise for Yoshida once again this weekend.
Angus Gunn will continue to start in between the sticks for Southampton. The English ‘keeper has played well in recent games and will be looking to continue his good form this weekend.
Midfield
Wingbacks have played a key role under Hasenhuttl’s short tenure so far. Cedric Soares might be deployed as the right-sided wingback while Matt Targett is likely to operate from the opposite flank.
Targett has attempted 2.2 tackles per game this season and his tenacity will be important in dealing with the wide threat of Marc Albrighton.
Lemina is a doubt for this fixture and if he fails to return to full fitness in time, we expect James Ward-Prowse to once again deputise for the former Juventus midfielder. Ward-Prowse was deployed as a central midfielder against Derby last weekend.
Ward-Prowse is expected to partner Oriol Romeu at the base of Southampton’s 3-4-2-1, with Callum Slattery making way for the Spaniard, whose tally of 2.5 tackles per game is only bettered by the duo of Lemina and Hojbjerg.
Attack
The Southampton attack will be led by Shane Long, with Hasenhuttl short of options in the attacking department.
Elsewhere, we expect Stuart Armstrong to recover from his knock, allowing Hasenhuttl to deploy the Scot as the attacking midfielder alongside Nathan Redmond.
Both of these players have averaged over one key pass per game this season and their creativity will be crucial against a well-disciplined Leicester City defence.
Stat courtesy: Whoscored
