MX23RW : Tuesday, November 5 06:55:20| >> :600:118392:118392:
[monks data]
Southampton logo
Premier League
Aug 30, 2015 at 1.30pm UK
 
Norwich logo

3-0

Pelle (45'), Tadic (64', 67')
FT(HT: 1-0)

Preview: Southampton vs. Norwich City

Sports Mole looks ahead to the Premier League clash between Southampton and Norwich City at St Mary's Stadium.

Southampton will be hoping to record their first win of the new Premier League season on Sunday when they welcome Norwich City to St Mary's Stadium.

Norwich travel to the South Coast on a two-game unbeaten run following their return to the top flight.


Southampton

Graziano Pelle of Southampton celebrates after scoring to make it 1-0 during the UEFA Europa League Third Qualifying Round 1st Leg match between Southampton and Vitesse at St Mary's Stadium on July 30, 2015© Getty Images

Southampton have endured an underwhelming start to their Premier League campaign, taking just two points from their opening three matches.

Ronald Koeman's side, who are still looking for their first victory, currently sit in 19th place in the table.

Their last outing in the league saw them play out an uninspiring goalless draw with Watford, though Koeman was eager to praise his team's defensive performance after the game.

The Saints suffered more disappointment in the Europa League on Thursday night as a 1-0 defeat away to FC Midtjylland knocked them out of the competition at the playoff stage.

Southampton have struggled for goals this season, scoring just twice in their three fixtures so far. It has been equally concerning at the other end of the pitch, with five goals conceded.

While it is still only early days in the season, anything other than a win against Norwich will see the pressure on Southampton cranked up a notch.

Recent form: DLD
Recent form (all competitions): WDLDDL


Norwich

Russel Martin of Norwich City celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Norwich City and Stoke City at Carrow Road on August 22, 2015© Getty Images

Norwich City head to St Mary's Stadium having enjoyed a solid opening to their first Premier League campaign in two years.

Alex Neil's men occupy eighth place in the table after taking four points from a possible nine.

Following an opening-day defeat to Crystal Palace, the Canaries beat Sunderland before earning a share of the spoils last weekend against Stoke City.

Their decent run of form continued in midweek as they saw off Rotherham United 2-1 in the second round of the League Cup, setting up a third-round clash at home against West Bromwich Albion.

The club has been grabbing headlines in the transfer window over the past week, with a third bid for striker Benik Afobe rejected by Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Meanwhile, Bournemouth target Lewis Grabban has been suspended by Norwich after going AWOL. Grabban's future at Carrow Road remains unclear, though the 27-year-old could yet join the Cherries before deadline day.

Norwich have impressed in attack so far this season, scoring five goals in their three games. However, five goals conceded and no clean sheets will be a worry to Neil.

Recent form: LWD
Recent form (all competitions): LWLWDW


Team News

Southampton's Sadio Mane celebrates one of his three goals against Aston Villa on May 16, 2015© Getty Images

Jordy Clasie and Ryan Bertrand both remain sidelined for the hosts with hamstring and knee problems respectively.

Sadio Mane, who has been linked with Manchester United, is also a doubt due to a persistent hip problem.

Martin Olsson is still unavailable for the visitors, who will be without Youssouf Mulumbu and Kyle Lafferty.

Southampton possible starting lineup:
Stekelenburg; Cedric, Fonte, Caulker, Yoshida; Targett, Romeu, S Davis, Ward-Prowse; Pelle, Rodriguez

Norwich possible starting lineup:
Ruddy; Whittaker, Martin, Bassong, Brady; Redmond, Tettey, Dorrans, Howson; Hoolahan; Jerome


Head To Head

Southampton hold a narrow lead in the head-to-head record between these sides. The Saints have won 35 encounters, while Norwich have prevailed on 30 occasions. There have also been 27 draws. The Canaries' last victory away to Southampton came seven years ago when the teams were battling it out in the Championship.


Video Preview

Hit play below to see what the Sports Mole Sofa had to say about this encounter:


Sports Mole Logo

We say: Southampton 2-1 Norwich

Southampton are struggling for form at the moment, but they could well get their first win of the campaign this weekend. The Saints will be expected to claim the three points against the Canaries, though it could be a tough afternoon for them against Alex Neil's disciplined side.



ID:242379: cacheID:242379:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:9800:No Data Analysis info

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Restore Data
Share this article now:
Norwich boss Alex Neil watches on intently as his team take on Sunderland on August 15, 2015
Read Next:
Preview: Norwich City vs. Stoke City
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
1.15am
Buccaneers
@
Chiefs
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool108111961325
2Manchester CityMan City1072121111023
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest10541147719
4Chelsea105322012818
5Arsenal105321711618
6Aston Villa105321715218
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs1051422111116
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton104421714316
9Fulham104331413115
10Bournemouth104331312115
11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle104331010015
12Brentford104151920-113
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd10334912-312
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham103251319-611
15Leicester CityLeicester102441418-410
16Everton102351017-79
17Crystal Palace10145813-57
18Ipswich TownIpswich100551021-115
19Southampton10118719-124
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves100371427-133


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!