Southampton will be looking to return to winning ways in the Premier League when they welcome Burnley to St Mary's on Saturday afternoon.
The Saints are currently 13th in the Premier League table, level on points with 11th-placed Burnley ahead of this weekend's contest on the south coast.
Match preview
© Reuters
Southampton have lost two of their last three league matches against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Liverpool, but it is difficult to be too critical of the Saints considering their form over the last couple of months.
Ralph Hasenhuttl's side looked in deep trouble in the early stages of November but have picked up seven wins from their last 12 to move clear of the bottom three heading into the final straight.
Indeed, a total of 31 points has left them in 13th position in the table, seven points clear of the relegation zone and actually just four points off eighth-placed Manchester United, which is an indication of the type of season it has been.
This weekend will be Southampton's first Premier League match at home since they beat Tottenham Hotspur on New Year's Day, and a victory would be another important step forward when it comes to securing safety.
The Saints have not overcome Burnley in any competition since October 2016, though, and suffered a 3-0 defeat when they travelled to Turf Moor in the Premier League on the opening weekend of the 2019-20 campaign.
© Reuters
Like Southampton, it is difficult to say that Burnley are safe from the threat of relegation, but Sean Dyche's team have shown enough over the last few weeks to suggest that they will be fine when it comes to staying in the division once again.
Indeed, since losing 3-0 at Chelsea on January 11, they have collected seven points from their three matches against Leicester City, Manchester United and Arsenal.
A hugely impressive performance at Old Trafford on January 22 led to a 2-0 win over Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side, while they have been victorious in three of their last six on their travels, also overcoming Watford and Bournemouth.
In Chris Wood, meanwhile, the Clarets have a striker who is enjoying another fine season. The 28-year-old has scored 10 Premier League goals during the 2019-20 campaign, including three in his last five outings, and the New Zealand international will certainly be a threat to the hosts this weekend.
Southampton Premier League form: DWWLWL
Southampton form (all competitions): WLWDLL
Burnley Premier League form: LLLWWD
Burnley form (all competitions): WLWWLD
Team News
© Reuters
Southampton boss Hasenhuttl revealed on Thursday that James Ward-Prowse is expected to be available for Saturday's contest having overcome a knee injury.
Kyle Walker-Peters, who is on loan from Tottenham Hotspur, is in line to make his debut, meanwhile, with the defender hoping to edge out Yan Valery at right-back.
Danny Ings and Shane Long should continue as the front two in a 4-4-2 formation, while Moussa Djenepo will be hoping to get the nod over Adam Armstrong in a midfield position.
As for Burnley, Johann Berg Gudmundsson and Ashley Barnes are both unavailable through injury, while full-backs Charlie Taylor and Matt Lowton face late fitness tests.
Josh Brownhill could also be involved for the first time since joining from Bristol City during the January window.
Should Lowton and Taylor both make it then there are unlikely to be any changes from the side that drew with Arsenal last time out, meaning that Jay Rodriguez would continue alongside Wood in the final third.
Southampton possible starting lineup:
McCarthy; Walker-Peters, Stephens, Bednarek, Bertrand; Djenepo, Ward-Prowse, Hojbjerg, Redmond; Ings, Long
Burnley possible starting lineup:
Pope; Lowton, Tarkowski, Mee, Taylor; Hendrick, Westwood, Cork, McNeil; Wood, Rodriguez
We say: Southampton 1-1 Burnley
Southampton will be confident heading into the contest, but the Saints have only won one of their last four Premier League matches on home soil. Burnley, meanwhile, are three games unbeaten in the league - winning twice in the process - and we fancy Dyche's team to secure a share of the spoils.
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a win with a probability of 51.77%. A draw had a probability of 24.7% and a win for had a probability of 23.53%.
The most likely scoreline for a win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.59%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.57%) and 2-0 (9.45%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (11.74%), while for a win it was 0-1 (7.21%).
