Southampton and Leicester City will be looking to bounce back from their disappointing FA Cup fifth-round exits when they face off at St Mary's in the Premier League on Saturday.
While the Saints have lost each of their last five home league matches, the Foxes have suffered defeat in three of their last four top-flight games on the road.
Match preview
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Since leading basement club Southampton to an impressive 1-0 win at Chelsea and being confirmed as the club's permanent manager for the rest of the season, Ruben Selles has suffered defeat in his last two games in charge within a five-day period.
A slender 1-0 Premier League defeat away against fellow strugglers Leeds United last weekend was followed by an embarrassing 2-1 loss at home to League Two outfit Grimsby Town in the FA Cup on Wednesday, with Gavan Holohan converting two penalties before Duje Caleta-Car pulled one back in the second half.
The only real positive that the Saints can take from that defeat to their fourth-tier counterparts is that they can now focus fully on their quest for Premier League survival, with 14 games remaining to reduce the four-point deficit and climb out of the drop zone.
Southampton fans have had little to cheer about at St Mary's so far this season, with only six points accumulated in 11 Premier League home matches – at least six fewer than any other team in the division.
However, the Saints can take confidence from their 2-1 victory away at Leicester earlier this season, and another win on Saturday would see them complete the league double over the Foxes for the first time since the 2007-08 campaign when both clubs were in the Championship.
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Brendan Rodgers would have hoped that Leicester's impressive victories over Aston Villa (4-2) and Tottenham Hotspur (4-1) could act as a springboard for a positive run of form. However, the Foxes eventually ended the month of February with three successive defeats.
Back-to-back Premier League losses without reply against Manchester United and Arsenal were followed by a disappointing 2-1 home defeat against Championship side Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup on Tuesday, with the 2021 winners crashing out in the fifth round.
After five successive seasons finishing inside the top 10 of the Premier League, Leicester may have to accept a bottom-half finish this term if their inconsistent form fails to improve in the final third of the campaign. The Foxes are still looking over their shoulders at the prospect of relegation, with just three points separating themselves in 14th from 18th-placed Everton.
Football neutrals will have enjoyed watching Leicester on their travels this season, as their away games have seen a total of 49 goals scored in the Premier League, more than any other team in the division.
The Foxes enter Saturday's fixture having won eight of their last 10 Premier League matches against teams beginning the day at the foot of the table, while they are unbeaten in each of their previous five visits to St Mary's including the memorable 9-0 victory in October 2019.
Team News
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Southampton boss Selles has confirmed that top scorer Che Adams - who netted a brace in the 2-1 win at Leicester back in August - will return to the matchday squad on Saturday after missing the last three games with an unspecified problem, while defender Mohammed Salisu is also in contention to return after missing three matches with a knock.
Full-back Juan Larios has stepped up his recovery and is set to play for the club's B team following a lengthy spell out with a hamstring problem, while Valentino Livramento is continuing his rehabilitation from an ACL injury.
Following the midweek loss to Grimsby, Selles is expected to revert to a similar side that began against Leeds last weekend, with the likes of Gavin Bazunu, Jan Bednarek, Armel Bella-Kotchap, James Ward-Prowse, Stuart Armstrong and Kamaldeen Sulemana all set to return to the first XI.
As for Leicester, they will be without injured quartet James Justin (Achilles), Jonny Evans (thigh), Ryan Bertrand (knee) and Youri Tielemans (ankle), with the latter facing up to six weeks on the sidelines.
However, Rodgers has provided a positive update on the fitness of key playmaker James Maddison, who should be fit to return from a knee issue to feature on Saturday.
Danny Ward, Timothy Castagne, Harry Souttar, Victor Kristiansen, Nampalys Mendy and Kelechi Iheanacho were all rotated out of the starting lineup in midweek, but they are expected to be recalled for the clash at St Mary's.
Southampton possible starting lineup:
Bazunu; Maitland-Niles, Bednarek, Bella-Kotchap, Perraud; S. Armstrong, Ward-Prowse, Lavia, Elyounoussi; Sulemana, Onuachu
Leicester City possible starting lineup:
Ward; Castagne, Souttar, Faes, Kristiansen; Mendy, Dewsbury-Hall; Tete, Maddison, Barnes; Iheanacho
We say: Southampton 1-3 Leicester City
An entertaining end-to-end contest could be on the cards at St Mary's between two teams who can ill-afford to drop more points as they bid to avoid relegation.
Considering Southampton's home form and Leicester's threat in the final third, we believes that the Foxes will outscore their opponents and claim three valuable points.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Oliver Thomas
