Boxing Day marks the beginning of a new era for Premier League basement boys Southampton, as Ivan Juric takes charge of his inaugural game at home to West Ham United.
The former Roma boss cast a watchful eye over the Saints' 0-0 draw with Fulham last time out, while Julen Lopetegui's Hammers played out their own stalemate with Brighton & Hove Albion.
Match preview
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While Juric was restricted to a watching brief at Craven Cottage over the weekend, the quintessential new manager bounce may have already been in effect for Southampton, who stunted European outsiders Fulham under the wing of Simon Rusk.
The Saints' creditable draw at Craven Cottage came after they had given a strong account of themselves against Liverpool in the EFL Cup quarter-finals, but they were always doomed to fail in that clash with the champions, and the consensus is that the same fate will befall them in the Premier League.
Collecting a meagre six points from the first 51 on offer this season, 20th-placed Southampton are all but guaranteed to still be propping up the division at the halfway mark, and Juric inherits a confidence-zapped Saints squad who are eight points adrift of safety.
Southampton's new boss may have been a small fish in a big pond at Roma, but Torino and Hellas Verona's undeniable progression under his stewardship offers some cause for optimism, even if a Big Sam-esque great escape is not on the cards for the Saints.
It is never over until it is mathematically over, but the goal-shy Saints have now failed to find the back of the net in their last three Premier League matches; not since October 2018 have Thursday's hosts had a longer scoreless sequence in any division.
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As Juric commences his Premier League journey, Lopetegui's was tipped to come an end during West Ham United's early-season plight, but talk of the sack has quietened down thanks to a three-game unbeaten sequence in the Irons' chair.
Following a fiery win over Wolverhampton Wanderers and creditable 1-1 draw at Bournemouth, who only equalised late through an extraordinary Enes Unal free kick, West Ham stole a point off the Seagulls in gameweek 17, as Mohammed Kudus cancelled out a Mats Wieffer opener.
The former Conference League champions are certainly not home and dry in 14th position, but they have an eight-point buffer to the drop zone and are now only two points below Manchester United, having rediscovered a knack for making nets bulge.
Kudus's headed leveller against Brighton saw West Ham score for the sixth Premier League game in a row - although each of their last five have also seen Lopetegui's men concede - and Boxing Day away days tend to be enjoyable experiences for the Hammers faithful.
Indeed, the Irons are unbeaten in their last six league games outside of London on December 26, and they have only been beaten in one of their last 11 Premier League clashes with Southampton, although that was coincidentally a 2-3 home loss on Boxing Day 2021.
Team News
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After welcoming goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale back with open arms against Fulham, Southampton will be able to call upon Jack Stephens once more for the visit of West Ham after the experienced defender completed a four-match suspension in the Cottagers draw.
Gavin Bazunu (Achilles), Ross Stewart (calf) and Will Smallbone (thigh) all remain unavailable for Juric's first game in charge, though, while Maxwel Cornet cannot face his parent club but is only on the fringes of the first team anyway.
Juric has long been an advocate of deploying three central defenders - a system that Southampton are already familiar with - and all of Cameron Archer, Adam Armstrong and Paul Onuachu should be fighting for two striker spots in the Croatian's setup.
Meanwhile, it is one in and one out on the suspension front for West Ham, who have lost Lucas Paqueta to a yellow-card ban, but Carlos Soler is eligible to play again and ought to be a straight swap for the Brazilian in the number 10 slot.
Michail Antonio continues his rehabilitation from a horrific car accident, and the ever-coy Lopetegui also confirmed that two players will need late fitness tests in his pre-game press conference, but he refused to name names.
It can be assumed that Dinos Mavropanos is one of them - the Greek defender was withdrawn at half time in the Brighton draw - so Jean-Clair Todibo should be recalled to the rearguard at St Mary's.
Southampton possible starting lineup:
Ramsdale; Wood, Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek; Sugawara, Ugochukwu, Downes, Walker-Peters; Fernandes; Armstrong, Onuachu
West Ham United possible starting lineup:
Fabianski; Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Kilman, Emerson; Alvarez, Soucek; Bowen, Soler, Kudus; Fullkrug
We say: Southampton 1-1 West Ham United
Not since 2015 have West Ham fallen to defeat against the team starting the day at the bottom of the Premier League table, and while that trend should continue on Boxing Day, Lopetegui's men may have to be content with just the one point.
Missing two of their principle attacking threats in Antonio and Paqueta, the Irons will have their work cut out against a Saints backline that has been shored up since Russell Martin's exit, and Juric's Premier League tenure appears destined to begin with a low-scoring stalemate.
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Ben Knapton
