Two of the Championship's newly-relegated sides will do battle at St Mary's on Saturday, as Southampton entertain Leeds United.
Following a run of four straight defeats, the hosts sit 15th in the Championship table under Russell Martin, while their visitors have enjoyed a climb to sixth spot thanks to their more impressive run in recent weeks.
Match preview
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After succumbing to relegation from the Premier League last season, Southampton headed into the new Championship campaign under the new management of Russell Martin with the aim of immediately bouncing back to the top flight, and they certainly enjoyed an encouraging start, taking 10 points from their opening four outings through victories over Sheffield Wednesday, Plymouth Argyle and Queens Park Rangers and a 4-4 draw with Norwich City.
The Saints' form has since taken a sharp dip, though, as they suffered a first defeat of the league campaign in concerning fashion prior to the recent international break, travelling to Sunderland and taking a 5-0 thrashing as Jack Clarke opened the scoring inside a minute and Pierre Ekwah went on to net a brace alongside goals from Bradley Dack and Chris Rigg.
Following the break in action, Martin's men set to put that disappointment behind them on their return in mid-September, but they now head into the weekend on the back of three further defeats on the bounce, initially being beaten 4-1 at home to Leicester City, having again gone behind in the opening minute, before welcoming newly-promoted Ipswich Town and coming away empty-handed as Omari Hutchinson netted the only goal of the game at St Mary's.
Still sitting on 10 points from seven games, the Hampshire outfit set out to stop the rot on Saturday as they travelled to take on a Middlesbrough side who sat bottom of the division after a winless start, but Martin's men would again fall short as Riley McGree and Jonny Howson fired the hosts to a first three-point haul of the campaign, despite Adam Armstrong initially putting them ahead.
With pressure bound to be growing around the Saints and Martin in particular on the back of four straight second-tier defeats, Southampton will be desperate to bounce back to winning ways at St Mary's on Saturday but face another particularly difficult test against a fellow relegated side who are growing in confidence.
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Following their own relegation last time around, Leeds United also headed into the 2023-24 season under new management, as Daniel Farke was tasked with guiding the Yorkshire outfit back to England's top flight, but they did not enjoy a positive start like Saturday's hosts did, managing just two points from their opening three outings.
The last of those results, a 1-1 draw at home to West Bromwich Albion in mid-August, has since formed the start of a growing unbeaten run for the Whites, though, as they now head into the weekend having not suffered defeat in any of their last six league outings, initially scoring a first win of the campaign away at high-flying Ipswich Town before heading into the international break following a disappointing goalless draw at home to Yorkshire rivals Sheffield Wednesday.
Farke's men have continued their improvement since the return to action, scoring seven more points from their last three outings heading into the weekend, as they firstly beat Millwall 3-0 at the Den thanks to Joel Piroe's brace and a Georginio Rutter goal, before settling for a point following a goalless stalemate away at Hull City, having fought with 10 men for the final 30 minutes following Joe Rodon's red card.
Then sitting on 10 points from seven outings, the Whites most recently welcomed Watford to Elland Road last weekend and succeeded in extending their positive run, eventually going ahead through Piroe in the 67th minute before Sam Byram and Jaidon Anthony added goals in a 3-0 triumph.
Now on the back of that six-match unbeaten streak, and having kept four consecutive clean sheets in the process, Leeds certainly appear to be growing in confidence under Farke and will aim to extend both runs with another victory on Saturday with the aim of moving closer to the leading pack.
Team News
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Southampton will remain without centre-back Jack Stephens and attacker Ross Stewart, who is yet to feature since his summer switch from Sunderland, due to ongoing injury issues, and Jan Bednarek and Manchester City loanee Taylor Harwood-Bellis could again partner up in the middle of a back four in the former's absence on Saturday, with Ryan Manning expected to return on the left-hand side and Kyle Walker-Peters set to return to his more familiar right-back role.
Martin may look to make further changes in search of a change in fortunes, and Joe Aribo and Stuart Armstrong will both fight to start in midfield after Will Smallbone, Shea Charles and Flynn Downes were preferred away at Middlesbrough last weekend, while Kamaldeen Sulemana, Samuel Edozie, Carlos Alcaraz and Sekou Mara are all pushing for spots in attack.
Opportunities are limited in the front three, though, with Che Adams again expected to lead the line with Adam Armstrong also bound to feature having already netted five league goals this term, leaving Ryan Fraser's left-wing spot as the only one likely up for grabs.
Leeds United will remain without key attacker Willy Gnonto through injury at the weekend, while Stuart Dallas, Djed Spence, Junior Firpo and Patrick Bamford are also confined to the treatment room, and Farke may opt to field an unchanged starting XI at the weekend following their 3-0 beating of Watford.
He does have a dilemma at the back, though, with Joe Rodon returning to contention after serving a suspension, while Pascal Struijk and Liam Cooper partnered up and saw out another clean sheet in his absence at the weekend.
Similarly in midfield, Farke will have to choose between Glen Kamara and 17-year-old Archie Gray alongside key man Ethan Ampadu in the engine room, while the attacking setup should stay untouched with Georginio Rutter and Joel Piroe bound to again start through the middle, with the latter having already notched up four league goals since his summer switch from Swansea City, while Crysencio Summerville and Daniel James should both keep their places on the wings in Gnonto's absence, albeit with competition from Jaidon Anthony.
Southampton possible starting lineup:
Bazunu; Walker-Peters, Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Manning; Downes, Smallbone, S Armstrong; A Armstrong, Adams, Edozie
Leeds United possible starting lineup:
Meslier; Ayling, Struijk, Cooper, Byram; Ampadu, Kamara; James, Piroe, Summerville; Rutter
We say: Southampton 0-2 Leeds United
Southampton are yet to fully hit their stride under Russell Martin, and pressure is certainly growing around St Mary's, while their visitors are quickly building momentum and appear to be more proficient at both ends of the pitch than the Saints.
We fancy Farke's side to put up another clean sheet and return to Yorkshire with three more points on Saturday.
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Top tip
Sam Varley
