Southampton will aim to secure back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time since December when they face West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns on Monday night.
The Saints have slipped to thirteenth in the table following a wretched run of results, although they are still ten point clear of the relegation zone.
Mbaye takes centre stage in Monday's matchday programme 🇸🇳☑️ Talking teammates☑️ Life in the @premierleague☑️ Repaying Sam Allardyce's faithCatch all this and more in the @SouthamptonFC edition of Albion News.— West Bromwich Albion (@WBA) April 8, 2021
Mbaye takes centre stage in Monday's matchday programme 🇸🇳☑️ Talking teammates☑️ Life in the @premierleague☑️ Repaying Sam Allardyce's faithCatch all this and more in the @SouthamptonFC edition of Albion News.
On the flip side, West Brom find themselves second from bottom in the standings, seven point ahead of Sheffield United and seven points from safety.
The Baggies ended a three-game winless run by securing a shock 5-2 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last weekend.
Following Thiago Silva’s first-half red card, Mattheus Pereira bagged two goals and two assists, while Callum Robinson also scored a brace. Mbaye Diagne completed the scoring.
Still, West Brom will need a few more results like that if they are to climb out of the bottom three and avoid relegation this year.
When you consider the bigger picture, the Baggies have only managed to win four of their 30 league games this season.
To make matters worse, they also boast the worst defensive record in the division, having conceded 59 goals this term.
On the topic of poor defensive records, Southampton actually have the second-worst defensive record in the league, having conceded 53 goals.
The Saints have only managed to win two of their last 13 EPL matches, suffering ten defeats along the way.
However, Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men showed great spirit to come from 2-0 down and beat Burnley at St. Mary’s last weekend.
Southampton conceded twice inside 28 minutes, yet goals from Stuart Armstrong, Danny Ings and Nathan Redmond saw the hosts win 3-2.
Have notched up 24 shots (nine on target) and enjoyed the bulk of possession, there is no denying that Saints deserved all three points last time out.
Head-to-head: It is important to remember that Southampton beat West Brom 2-0 in the reverse fixture back in October.
That means the Saints have clinched five straight victories over the Baggies in all competitions – four in the Premier League and one in the FA Cup.
Team news: Branislav Ivanovic is West Brom’s only injury concern. Conor Gallagher is expected to come back into the side after the Chelsea loanee missed the game against his parent club.
As for Saints, they will be without Will Smallbone, Oriol Romeu and Michael Obafemi on Monday, with Kyle Walker-Peters is also a doubt.
West Brom may have secured a memorable win last weekend, but let’s not forget that Southampton produce heroics of their own last time out.
Forebet predicts that Saints will heap more misery on West Brom on Monday, scoring over 1.5 goals on their way to victory.