Following the batch of midweek fixtures, Southampton and Norwich City kick off Matchday 27 of the 2021-22 Premier League season at St. Mary’s on Friday night.
As it stands, Saints find themselves tenth in the Premier League table – five points clear of eleventh-place Leicester City.
Those dancing feet 🕺A clinical effort from Stuart Armstrong against Friday's opponents #NCFC: pic.twitter.com/Gb7C01lULt— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) February 23, 2022
Those dancing feet 🕺A clinical effort from Stuart Armstrong against Friday's opponents #NCFC: pic.twitter.com/Gb7C01lULt
At the opposite end of the standings, Norwich sit rock bottom – level with Burnley on 17 points and five points from safety.
Southampton are enjoying an impressive run at the moment and head into Friday’s clash on a four-match unbeaten streak in the Premier League.
After holding Manchester City to a 1-1 draw, Saints came from behind to beat Tottenham Hotspur 3-2 earlier this month.
The south coast side then held Manchester United to a 1-1 draw before dispatching Everton 2-0 last weekend.
Looking at the broader picture, Southampton have lost just one of their previous nine Premier League games – picking up four wins and four draws in the process.
Not so long ago, there was a sense that Saints could get dragged into the relegation battle. Now, they are sitting pretty in mid-table without any relegation fears.
As for Norwich, they come into this one on the back of successive defeats – albeit against the top two teams in the division.
Following a 4-0 thrashing against Manchester City, the Canaries were beaten 3-1 by Liverpool at Anfield last weekend.
Dean Smith’s side appeared to be heading in the right direction when they notched a three-game unbeaten streak between mid-January and early February.
However, the heavy defeats to Man City and Liverpool have taken the wind out of their sails. The relegation fears are beginning to grow.
Head-to-head: Norwich claimed a rare victory over Southampton in the reverse fixture back in November, securing a 2-1 win at Carrow Road on that occasion.
That said, the Canaries have managed to win just two of their past eight meetings with Saints across all competitions – suffering five losses in the process.
Team news: Southampton will be without the injured duo of Lyanco and Alex McCarthy on Friday. Nathan Tella is also a doubt.
Norwich currently have five players sidelined through injury – Lukas Rupp, Tim Krul, Jakob Sorensen, Adam Idah and Andrew Omobamidele.
There is no denying that Norwich have improved under Smith. However, in-form Southampton shouldn’t struggle to pick up the points on Friday night.
Forebet predicts that Southampton will score over 1.5 goals on their way to seeing off Norwich.