Seeking to put an end to abysmal winless streaks in the Premier League, Southampton welcome Brighton & Hove Albion to St Mary's on Saturday afternoon.
The hosts drew 2-2 with Leicester City in midweek, while the Seagulls make the journey across the South Coast after taking a point home from West Ham United.
Match preview
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With Southampton entering their battle with Leicester off the back of a 4-0 Liverpool thumping and talk of the previous 9-0 embarrassment, the stage was seemingly set for the Foxes to produce another goal-laden performance down south.
However, Ralph Hasenhuttl's men performed valiantly to take a point in a 2-2 draw, as they took the lead twice through Jan Bednarek and Che Adams but were pegged back both times courtesy of replies from Jonny Evans and James Maddison in a game that was halted due to a medical emergency in the crowd.
This up-and-down Southampton side have now taken just one point from their last three Premier League matches and find themselves 16th in the table as a result - five points clear of 18th-placed Burnley, who do have a game in hand.
The Saints will certainly welcome another game on home territory, where they are now unbeaten in four and have lost just two of their last 12 Premier League games on the St Mary's turf, but Brighton possess an almost identical away record so far this term.
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A calamitous first half at the London Stadium saw Brighton go a goal down inside five minutes to Tomas Soucek's header before losing both Jeremy Sarmiento and Adam Webster to injury, but the Seagulls swooped to take a point back down to the South Coast.
After also witnessing Adam Lallana come off due to a thigh problem and unable to replace him having used up all of their three substitutions, Neal Maupay's stunning overhead kick in the 89th minute rescued an unlikely draw for Brighton in the capital.
While the circumstances of that draw were quite spectacular, it is now nine games without a win for Brighton in the Premier League, but the Seagulls' ninth-placed ranking is still something to behold, sitting closely behind both Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United who they will face later this month.
Brighton's fast start to the season has taken an expected dip, but they have only suffered one defeat away from home all season and have shared the spoils in four of their last five on the road, although they have only scored four in that stretch.
Southampton managed to pick up a 2-1 win at the Amex Stadium last season before losing to the same scoreline against Brighton at home, with that result marking the Seagulls' first-ever win against the Saints since their promotion to the Premier League.
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Team News
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Southampton goalscorer Bednarek had to come off with a calf twinge in the dying embers of the Leicester draw, but Hasenhuttl is hopeful that the centre-back has avoided serious injury.
Moussa Djenepo and Mohamed Elyounoussi returned to the squad in midweek, although Stuart Armstrong remains out with a calf strain and Jack Stephens (knee) will need assessing.
Lyanco should step in for Bednarek this week, while Elyounoussi's return should see Nathan Tella drop back down to the bench.
As for Brighton, none of Sarmiento, Lallana and Webster are likely to feature here after being hauled off in midweek, while Danny Welbeck and Steven Alzate are also absent.
Pascal Gross, Shane Duffy and Solly March all look set to benefit from their teammates' absences this week, but Alexis Mac Allister is another option to fill the number 10 role with Lallana out.
Tariq Lamptey provided the assist for Maupay's spectacular equaliser in midweek, and it would not be surprising to see him demote Joel Veltman down to the bench.
Southampton possible starting lineup:
McCarthy; Livramento, Salisu, Lyanco, Walker-Peters; Redmond, Ward-Prowse, Romeu, Elyounoussi; Adams, Armstrong
Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup:
Sanchez; Lamptey, Dunk, Duffy, Cucurella; Bissouma, Moder; March, Gross, Trossard; Maupay
We say: Southampton 0-0 Brighton & Hove Albion
There has not been a goalless stalemate between these two clubs for over 10 years, but it is extremely difficult to separate them on this occasion.
The Saints have taken 10 points at home, while Brighton boast 10 on the road this term, and we can envisage defenders taking centre stage as both sides cancel each other out down south.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Southampton win with a probability of 41.06%. A win for Brighton & Hove Albion had a probability of 31.26% and a draw had a probability of 27.7%.
The most likely scoreline for a Southampton win was 1-0 with a probability of 12%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.38%) and 2-0 (7.72%). The likeliest Brighton & Hove Albion win was 0-1 (10.13%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.03%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 13% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole correctly predicted a draw in this match.
