Russell Martin and his Southampton squad are gearing up for a short trip along the south coast to face Bournemouth on Monday night.
While getting one over on their local rivals would be satisfying, the main priority for Southampton is to secure their first league win of the season.
Martin will take encouragement from the team’s strong performance in their 1-1 draw against Ipswich Town last weekend, although conceding a 95th-minute equalizer was a bitter blow. Nevertheless, that draw got Southampton their first point of the new campaign, and they’ll be aiming to claim all three points at the Vitality Stadium on Monday.
Southampton team and injury news ahead of Bournemouth clash
In terms of injuries, Russell Martin is still without long-term absentee Gavin Bazunu, who is not expected back from his Achilles injury until 2025.
In his pre-match press conference, Martin also confirmed that Kamaldeen Sulemana remains out after picking up an injury in pre-season against Oxford United. Sulemana is not expected to return to full training for a couple more weeks.
Midfielder Will Smallbone, who hasn’t played since the last international break, will also miss the Bournemouth game. Martin indicated that Smallbone may be sidelined for at least another two weeks.
Ross Stewart has been gradually regaining his fitness with substitute appearances in recent weeks and is likely to feature in the squad once again for the Bournemouth clash.
Meanwhile, captain Jack Stephens remains suspended following his red card against Manchester United for a challenge on Alejandro Garnacho but will be available after Monday’s match.
Southampton predicted XI against Bournemouth
Russell Martin has switched from the 3-5-2 formation with which he began the season to a 4-3-3 setup, allowing Southampton to look much more comfortable on the pitch.
Aaron Ramsdale will retain his spot in goal after a series of impressive saves against Ipswich last weekend, and it’s expected that the same back four will play in front of him. This includes Charlie Taylor, who will continue at left-back after being surprisingly selected over Kyle Walker-Peters in the last match.
Martin has praised Taylor’s versatility and referred to the experienced left-back as ‘gifted’ since his arrival in the summer, and he has earned the right to keep his place against Bournemouth.
Southampton’s midfield appeared the most balanced it has all season against Ipswich, so Martin is likely to field the trio of Adam Lallana, Flynn Downes, and Mateus Fernandes again.
It’s anticipated that the front three will remain unchanged as well, which means Martin could name an unchanged XI from the Ipswich match. The only position under consideration is that of striker Cameron Archer, who missed several chances against Ipswich but has been the most promising of Southampton’s centre-forwards thus far. Martin may choose to maintain his faith in the young forward.
With that in mind, here’s the predicted lineup for Southampton against Bournemouth.
Southampton (4-3-3): Ramsdale; Sugawara, Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Taylor; Downes, Lallana, Fernandes; Dibling, Archer, Fraser
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