Southampton vs AFC Bournemouth
Date: 20/09/2019
K/O: 20:00
Venue: St. Mary’s
Referee: Chris Kavanagh
TV: Sky Sports Main Event
Ralph Hasenhuttl is faced with his most important week yet as a Southampton manager as the battle for South Coast superiority heads into full swing.
The Saints kick off the battle against Bournemouth at St. Marys this Friday, then travel to Fratton Park on Tuesday in the EFL cup to face arch-rivals Portsmouth for the first time in six years. It would be naïve to assume that Hasenhuttl does not have both matches on his mind. One thing is for certain, and that it will be his plan to win both.
Southampton will be confident heading into this fixture as Bournemouth have never won at St. Marys whilst both sides have been in the top tier. In their last five encounters, the Saints have won once and the other four ended in a draw which goes to show that there is little between these two sides.
Eddie Howe’s side have demanded respect by rising through the leagues and are now rising up the Premier League table. With four teams all sitting on seven points, including Southampton, a real statement could be made by Howe and his men to beat the Saints in their own back yard and edge closer to a Europa League spot.
However, beating Southampton is going to be difficult as both sides have absolutely nothing between them at this point in the season. Both have won two, drawn one and lost two. One of Bournemouth’s defeats came at the hands of the title defenders Manchester City, while one of Southampton’s defeats were to title hopefuls, Liverpool. It will be a fixture in which statements could be made, from either side, and it is there for the taking.
Saints are currently on a four-game unbeaten run in all competitions, with three of those being wins, and all three were while keeping a clean sheet. This is testament to Hasenhuttl, as addressing attacking and defending issues simultaneously is a skill very few obtain. This is their first home game since the 1-1 draw with Manchester United and confidence will be sky-high, alongside the desire to please the home fans with all three points. To put into perspective the difference Hasenhuttl has had, Southampton have already won more games than what they managed in the first 16 games of last season (W1 D6 L9).
Team News
Southampton
Hasenhuttl now has a real job on his hands selecting a side to complete with Bournemouth. Nathan Redmond, Ryan Bertrand and Kevin Danso are all available for selection this weekend which gives Hasenhuttl a huge decision to make as Saints have been winning without them.
One player that will not lose his place is 21-year-old Moussa Djenepo. After two stunning away goals, his confidence will be sky high and the tricky forward could really cause the Cherries some problems.
However, Sofiane Boufal has been on top form, completing the most dribbles in the league so far this season. Combined with Adams and Ings, Ralph really has his pick of the bunch. With the game against Portsmouth in mind, he will be confident in the starting XI he chooses for both Bournemouth and Portsmouth.
Hasenhuttl seems to have permanently switched to his favoured 4-2-2-2 formation and with Romeu now playing like he did in the 2016/17 season, it looks good for the Austrian.
AFC Bournemouth
The Cherries will be eager to maintain their momentum after a brilliant win over Everton last weekend. England call-up, Calum Wilson, seems to be back and firing on all cylinders alongside Ryan Fraser who was out injured for a lot of last season.
Their two defeats have come against Manchester City and solid-looking Leicester, which from a fans point of view, is not a big deal. Realistically the highest position Howe will be fighting for is seventh, and to beat Everton last weekend was a big step as it can almost be guaranteed that the Toffees will also be looking to steal that seventh-place spot.
One player who is rising to the challenge of the Premier League is Spaniard Diego Rico. Since his signing in summer 2018, he has only accumulated 19 first-team appearances. However, after assisting both of Calum Wilson’s goals against Everton, he has vowed to take the opportunity and keep his place in the team. He has been behind Charlie Daniels and Adam Smith in the pecking order for left-back and now looks to stamp his place in the starting XI. He could well cause Southampton some problems as well as providing defensive certainty at the back.
Bournemouth’s attacking options are exceptional for a mid-table side as only Raheem Stirling beats Wilson in the race of goal involvement since the start of last season. Another youngster who is set to take the league by storm in Liverpool loanee Harry Wilson. His technical ability and deadliness from outside the box give many teams a lot more to think about when they play the Cherries.
Predicted Starting XIs
Southampton (4-2-2-2): Gunn; Danso, Vestergaard, Bednarek, Cedric; Romeu; Hojbjerg; Ward-Prowse, Boufal; Djenepo, Ings
AFC Bournemouth (4-4-2): Ramsdale; Stacey, Cook, Ake, Rico; Fraser, Cook, Billing, King; Solanke, Wilson
Score Prediction: Southampton 3-2 AFC Bournemouth
It was really difficult to call this one as both sides bolster great attacking line-ups, however this score is based off of Bournemouth’s very poor away record at St. Marys and Hasenhuttl’s men will clinch the game.
