Southampton host south coast rival Brighton on Thursday night in big Premier League fixture. Five points separate Brighton with the relegation zone with three matches to play. Thursday night’s game is a must-win for Brighton as both Bournemouth and Aston Villa can still catch them.
It won’t be easy for Graham Potter’s team to get a result as Southampton are unbeaten in six straight games in all competitions against the Seagulls. Brighton have not beaten Southampton since 2011-12 when the teams played in the EFL Championship.
Southampton are coming off of a 2-2 draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford. Manager Ralph Hassenhuttl’s team will hope to keep the momentum going into next season and pick up a third win in five league games.
The Saints are unbeaten in their last four matches in the league picking up eight points from 12 possible. They claimed back to back away draws and now have their eyes on a home win.
Brighton have lost back to back games to Liverpool and Manchester City. They were outscored by a combined 8-1 score and will have low confidence heading into this must-win game. A win and results going their way elsewhere would keep them in the league for another campaign.
Anything less than a win would keep the door open to relegation. Potter may have made Brighton a more attractive team to watch, but it cannot be denied that they have recorded the same number of points this season that they finished last campaign with.
Potter has no new injury problems at Brighton with Jose Izqueirdo and Steve Alzate the only players currently missing through long-term injuries. Southampton have four players fighting for fitness for Thursday night’s fixture.
As it stands, Yan Valery Nathan Tella, Moussa Djenepo, and Sofiane Boufal are all ruled out through injury. The good news for Hassenhuttl is the continued form of Danny Ings. The Englishman has scored 19 times this season.
Since Brighton were promoted in 2017, these teams have met six times in all competitions. Three of those six matches finished in draws. The away side have never lost in the six games these teams have played and that trend should continue on matchday 36.
Southampton will get a home draw against Brighton in a tightly contested game. Expect under 2.5 goals as these sides play out a stalemate at St. Mary’s Stadium.