Southampton vs Huddersfield Town
Date: 12/05/2019
K/O: 15:00
Venue: St Mary’s Stadium
Referee: Lee Probert
Huddersfield Town travel to St Mary’s as they look to give their last hurrah in the Premier League this weekend.
The Terriers have had a miserable season and it is finally coming to an end. The conclusion of the campaign marks just their second ever appearance in the English top flight, and since being promoted, they have played 75 games and have lost 47 of those.
This means that overall the Terriers have lost 62% of their games in the Premier League so relegation almost comes as a relief for the West-Yorkshire side, as they will be looking to re-establish themselves in the Championship next year.
Southampton have had a topsy-turvy season. They started off dreadfully; one win in ten put the Saints as early relegation candidates alongside Huddersfield. The three managerial changes between Mark Hughes, Kelvin Davis and Ralph Hasenhüttl hasn’t helped either, and are also to blame for a season of sporadic results and unexpected losses. But in recent weeks, since Hasenhüttl’s arrival, they have begun to look more consistent and determined.
When faced with the prospect of relegation, inspired performances have seen the Saints take seven points from tough games against Tottenham, Wolves and Bournemouth. So it seems that Hasenhüttl has made quite an impact for the Saints, but the question is: how will he approach the summer transfer window, and who will he be looking at to reinforce his squad?
The same question applies for Huddersfield boss, Jan Siewert. Unfortunately for the Terriers, his arrival didn’t spark any changes in results. In fact, his predecessor, David Wagner has won more Premier League games this season than he has; beating Wolves and Fulham. It’s fair to say that the Town squad hasn’t been up to the Premier League standard this season.
But last week’s determined performance, against a multi-million pound Manchester United squad, showed that they still have an abundance of quality which can be utilised in the Championship.
Last week, Huddersfield played out their last home game of the season following a bitter campaign, but Isaac Mbenza’s second-half goal meant that the Terriers held Manchester United to a 1-1 draw. His goal created celebration from the home crowd, sending the John Smith’s stadium into an excited frenzy; roars of jubilation and optimism will surely be taken from this game into the Championship next year.
Team News
For the Saints, the end of the season can’t come soon enough as they are enduring a late injury crisis.
Defender Vestergaard will likely miss out as he is recovering from illness. Yoshida will also not feature as he has an ongoing muscle problem. This is in addition to both Cedric and Davis who both suffered season-ending injuries earlier this year.
Saints striker, Michael Obafemi, is still out with a hamstring injury. Therefore it is likely that both Long and Redmond will start up front against the Terriers.
Hasenhüttl is expected to play his favoured 3-5-2 formation with Hojbjerg in the middle, and youngsters Valery and Targett on the flanks.
Huddersfield Town
Striker Laurent Depoitre has recovered from a foot injury but will likely start on the bench.
Sabiri could feature, but the midfielder lacks match fitness and will most likely not be risked by Jan Siewert. Van La Parra is also not available.
Aaron Mooy is back fit again and is expected to start in the centre attacking midfield role where he was so influential last season.
The visit to the South Coast is expected to come too soon for defenders Zanka and Durm, as they are both set to be sidelined. Zanka hasn’t properly recovered from an illness, and Durm picked up a knock against Manchester United last weekend.
Predicted Starting XIs
Southampton (3-5-2): Forster; Bednarek, Stephens, Bertrand; Valery, Ward-Prowse, Højbjerg, Lemina, Targett; Long, Redmond.
Huddersfield Town (4-2-3-1): Lössl; Smith, Schindler, Kongolo, Lowe; Hogg, Bacuna; Mbenza, Mooy, Diakhaby; Grant.
Score Prediction: Southampton 2 Huddersfield Town 0
Southampton have looked a much more resolute side under their new manager and I think they’re going to end on a high note this weekend. Town have had their big display last week, and gave it their all in Yorkshire. I can’t see them keeping up with the dynamic Saints team, which is littered all across the field with pace and ability.
