Southampton host Nottingham Forest in a relegation six-pointer, with a win for either side potentially taking them out of the Premier League drop zone should results go their way.
The Saints currently sit rock bottom of the Premier League, with just three wins and 12 points to their name, and new manager Nathan Jones has lost both of his opening two games in charge at St Mary’s since taking the hotseat vacated by Ralf Hassenhutl. However, they face a Forest side that have also struggled, though they fought back well to claim a point against Chelsea on New Year’s day. Defeat for the home side could see them fall as far as five points away from Premier League safety, meaning that in just about every way this is a real relegation six-pointer.
Here’s the latest team news from the South Coast and how we expect the Saints to set up.
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Predicted XI
Team news
Talented youngster Sam Edozie is set to be assessed for cramp after being forced off against Fulham on New Year’s Day, as his side fell to a late 2-1 defeat to Fulham.
Meanwhile, all of Theo Walcott (calf), Alex McCarthy (ankle), Juan Larios (groin) and Valentino Livramento (knee) remain sidelined for the relegation scrap. Jones opted for a back three against Fulham and, though they conceded late on, it was a marked improvement from the 3-1 Boxing day defeat to Brighton in terms of performance.
As a result, it is likely that Jones will stick with that system, which involved Edozie and Joe Aribo getting up in support of main man Che Adams, while it also offers the Saints more security at the back with three central defenders.
