After taking a shock victory over Chelsea on Boxing Day, Southampton look to continue their progress as they take on Crystal Palace at St Mary’s Stadium.
Depending on what happens elsewhere, Southampton could go 13th with a win whilst Palace could climb further up into the top ten.
Team news
Embed from Getty ImagesShane Long could return from a knee injury for Southampton after missing their trip to Chelsea on Boxing Day.
Yan Valery (illness) and Moussa Djenepo (hamstring) aren’t thought to be ready for this game, although they should return within the next week.
Palace have no fresh injury concerns to report but Christian Benteke is ruled out with an unspecified strain.
Patrick Van Anholt (hamstring), Scott Dann (calf), Joel Ward, Gary Cahill (both knee), Jeffrey Schlupp and Andros Townsend (groin) are all ruled out.
Stat Attack
- Southampton have lost one of their last five league meetings with Crystal Palace (W3, D1, L1).
- Both teams have scored in their last four league meetings at St Mary’s Stadium.
- Crystal Palace are yet to score from a free-kick this season.
- Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is the only Southampton player to have played more than one through ball in the league this season.
- Vicente Guaita has made six sweeper clearances in 17 appearances for Palace this season, compared to just three in 20 appearances last season.
Prediction
Both teams produced excellent performances in midweek, particularly Palace who came from behind to beat a fresh West Ham side.
I therefore can see a tough scrap here because both teams don’t score many but can create plenty of chances all over the pitch, so a draw would be a decent bet.
Prediction: Southampton 1-1 Crystal Palace
Result: Southampton 1-1 Crystal Palace