A place in the FA Cup quarterfinals will be up for grabs on Wednesday when Southampton entertain West Ham United at St. Mary’s Stadium.
The Saints qualified for the fifth round of the competition following a 2-1 win over Coventry City, with Kyle Walker-Peters netting the winner in the second half of extra-time.
West Ham United also booked their place in the fifth round in a similar fashion, beating Kidderminster Harriers 2-1 with Jarrod Bowen scoring the winner in the dying minutes of extra-time.
Southampton
Lyanco, Nathan Tella and Alex McCarthy are all out injured for Southampton. With Alex McCarthy out injured, Fraser Forster’s spot between the sticks is apparently under no threat.
In front of Forster, a backline of Tino Livramento, Jan Bednarek, Mohammed Salisu and Romain Perraud is expected to start.
Oriol Romeu will protect the Saints backline from his usual defensive midfield role, whilst giving James Ward-Prowse the freedom to join in the attacks more often. Stuart Armstrong and Mohamed Elyounoussi will provide creativity and pace from wide areas to unlock the rigid West Ham backline.
Up top, Armando Broja should partner the in-form Che Adams, as Southampton aim to beat West Ham at home.
West Ham United
Angelo Ogbonna, Ryan Fredericks and Vladimir Coufal are out injured for West Ham, and Ryan Fredericks’ groin issue will likely keep him out of the fifth-round tie as well. Andriy Yarmolenko has been granted time off due to personal reasons.
Alphonse Areola is West Ham’s cup goalkeeper and should don the gloves for the upcoming FA Cup tie with Southampton. Issa Diop could get the nod ahead of Craig Dawson to partner Kurt Zouma in central defence, with Ben Johnson and Aaron Cresswell operating from full-back positions.
Mark Noble is expected to start in the Hammers midfield, giving Tomas Soucek a much-needed breather. The experienced Noble will partner with Declan Rice in the centre of the pitch and help West Ham control the tempo of the game.
David Moyes could look to ring changes in attack against the Saints. Michail Antonio could drop down to the bench, giving Moyes an opportunity to use Jarrod Bowen through the middle. Nikola Vlasic and Manuel Lanzini will operate from the wide areas, with Pablo Fornals pulling the strings from his favoured no.10 position.
Southampton Predicted Lineup (4-2-2-2): Fraser Forster; Tino Livramento, Jan Bednarek, Mohammed Salisu, Romain Perraud; Stuart Armstrong, Oriol Romeu, James Ward-Prowse, Mohamed Elyounoussi; Armando Broja, Che Adams
West Ham United Predicted Lineup (4-2-3-1): Alphonse Areola; Ben Johnson, Issa Diop, Kurt Zouma, Aaron Cresswell; Declan Rice, Mark Noble; Nikola Vlasic, Pablo Fornals, Manuel Lanzini; Jarrod Bowen
Southampton—James Ward-Prowse
Southampton’s most consistent player over the last few seasons, James Ward-Prowse has been a delight to watch. As a central midfield player, he can do almost everything for his team. Considered among the best dead-ball specialists in the continent, the Englishman holds the key in the Saints’ progression to the FA Cup’s next round.
West Ham—Jarrod Bowen
Jarrod Bowen has taken his game to the next level this season, showing more maturity in his decision-making and link-up play in the final third. Having scored the winner in the last round, the English winger proved his mettle again, and he certainly has the tools to hurt Southampton in midweek.
Prediction: Southampton 2-1 West Ham United
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