Southampton welcome Nottingham Forest to St. Mary’s on Wednesday, as both sides aim to move out of the Premier League relegation zone.
Saints find themselves rock bottom of the Premier League table, having taken just 12 points from 17 games this season.
📆 pic.twitter.com/Pdd9tQAxdE— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) January 2, 2023
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Meanwhile, Forest sit third from bottom - two points clear of Southampton. It is worth noting, however, that Steve Cooper’s side are only three points behind thirteenth-place Leicester City.
Southampton sacked Ralph Hasenhuttl before the World Cup break, following a run of one win in nine Premier League outings. Still, the same problems remain.
Nathan Jones replaced Hasenhuttl before the World Cup, but the former Luton Town manager has overseen three successive defeats since arriving on the south coast.
As a result, Saints head into Wednesday’s clash on a five-game losing streak. When you look at the bigger picture, they have lost nine of their previous 12 league outings.
Despite their recent struggles, Southampton have an excellent opportunity to return to winning ways this week - with fellow strugglers Forest up next.
Like Southampton, Forest have only managed to win three of their 17 Premier League encounters this term. However, they have suffered two defeats fewer.
Cooper’s sides made a dismal start to the season, winning just one of their first 11 league games. But they have upped their game since then.
Indeed, Forest have lost just two of their last seven league matches - picking up two wins and three draws in the process.
After beating Liverpool and drawing with Chelsea, the Tricky Trees will be confident of escaping the relegation zone. Still, their away struggles could continue on Wednesday.
Head-to-head: Southampton and Forest last met during the 2011-12 Championship campaign, with Saints claiming two wins that season.
Each of the last eight meetings between Saints and Forest have dished up over 1.5 goals, with six of those producing over 2.5 goals. Consequently, we should see plenty of action at St. Mary’s.
Team news: Southampton are currently without the injured trio of Theo Walcott, Juan Larios and Tina Livramento. Samuel Edozie is also a doubt for the upcoming clash.
Forest also have a number of injury absentees, with Jesse Lingard, Moussa Niakhate, Cheikhou Kouyate, Omar Richards and Giulian Biancone on the sidelines.
Although Forest’s recent form is far better than Southampton’s, it is worth remembering that Forest have failed to win an away game in the Premier League this season.
Given Forest’s record of one goal scored and 22 conceded in eight league games, Forebet predicts that Southampton will claim all three points on Wednesday.