Frank Lampard will be bidding to make it back-to-back Premier League wins as Everton boss when the Toffees make the trip to St Mary's on Saturday afternoon to take on Southampton.
Everton are currently 16th in the table, boasting 22 points from 22 matches, while an improving Southampton are 10th, having picked up 29 points from their 24 league fixtures this term.
Match preview
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Southampton have been excellent in their last three Premier League matches, holding Manchester City to a 1-1 draw on January 22 before winning 3-2 away to Tottenham Hotspur on February 9.
The Saints then picked up a point away to Manchester United last weekend, with Che Adams cancelling out an effort from Jadon Sancho, and the result moved the club onto 29 points, which has left them in 10th position in the table, four points behind ninth-placed Brighton & Hove Albion.
Ralph Hasenhuttl's side have only lost seven of their 24 league games this term, drawing 11 times in the process, and they will need to start turning some of those stalemates into victories if they are to finish in the top half of the division this term.
Southampton have won three, drawn seven and lost one of their 11 home Premier League matches this season, and they will be taking on an Everton side with the third-worst away record, with the Toffees picking up just six points from their 11 matches on the road.
The Saints actually now have three straight home matches, facing Everton and Norwich City in the league before welcoming West Ham United in the FA Cup at the start of February, and the team appear to be finding their best form at a crucial stage of the campaign.
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Everton, meanwhile, will enter the contest off the back of a 3-0 win over Leeds last weekend, with Seamus Coleman, Michael Keane and Anthony Gordon on the scoresheet in the success at Goodison Park.
Lampard has managed two wins from his three matches in charge, overcoming Brentford in the FA Cup on February 5 before losing at Newcastle United three days later, so the victory over Leeds last time out was crucial, particularly as the Toffees have a tough run of matches ahead.
Indeed, the Merseyside giants will face Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers in their next three league fixtures after this one, while they will take on Boreham Wood in the FA Cup at the start of next month.
A record of six wins, four draws and 12 defeats from 22 matches has left Everton in 16th position in the table on 22 points, just five points clear of the relegation zone, but they have two games in hand over 18th-placed Norwich, and another victory in this match would place them in a strong position.
The Toffees have won their last two Premier League games against Southampton, including a 3-1 victory in the reverse match earlier this season, but they lost 2-0 at St Mary's last term.
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Team News
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Southampton will again be without the services of Lyanco, Alex McCarthy and Nathan Tella through injury, but the home side are otherwise in strong shape heading into the contest.
Indeed, Hasenhuttl said during Thursday's pre-match press conference that Nathan Redmond has returned to training, while Jan Bednarek and Mohamed Elyounoussi are both available despite picking up knocks in the draw with Man United last time out.
The Saints were excellent at Old Trafford, so it would not be a surprise to see the same XI take to the field, with Adams starting up front alongside on-loan Chelsea forward Armando Broja, who is enjoying a strong season at St Mary's.
As for Everton, Demarai Gray is not yet ready to return, but the attacker, alongside Abdoulaye Doucoure, could be back against Man City at Goodison Park next weekend.
Ben Godfrey, Fabian Delph, Yerry Mina and Tom Davies also remain unavailable for selection, but January arrival Vitalii Mykolenko will be available to make his return.
Lampard is expected to keep faith with the majority of the side that started against Leeds last time out, with on-loan Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek featuring in the starting XI alongside Allan, so Dele Alli might have to accept a spot on the bench once again.
Southampton possible starting lineup:
Forster; Walker-Peters, Bednarek, Salisu, Perraud; Ward-Prowse, Romeu; Armstrong, Elyounoussi; Broja, Adams
Everton possible starting lineup:
Pickford; Coleman, Holgate, Keane, Mykolenko; Iwobi, Allan, Van de Beek, Gordon; Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison
We say: Southampton 1-1 Everton
This should be a cracking match between two sides with a lot of talent in the forward areas. Southampton were excellent at Old Trafford and should be full of confidence, but Everton are an improving team under Lampard, so we are backing the points to be shared in a low-scoring draw.
Top tip
Matt Law
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 42.28%. A win for Everton had a probability of 30.79% and a draw had a probability of 26.9%.
The most likely scoreline for a Southampton win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.43%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.67%) and 2-0 (7.76%). The likeliest Everton win was 0-1 (9.41%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.76%). The actual scoreline of 2-0 was predicted with a 7.8% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Southampton would win this match.
