Southampton continue their chase of a top ten finish as Ralph Hasenhuttl’s Saints host Everton at St Mary’s Stadium.
Victory would see Southampton stay tenth for another matchweek, whereas Everton can go 14th with a win if Brentford lose elsewhere.
Team News
Nathan Redmond could return to Southampton after recovering from an ankle injury which forced him to miss their 1-1 draw at Manchester United last weekend.
Jan Bednarek (quad) and Mohamed Elyounoussi (ankle) are also set to be in contention.
Alex McCarthy (thigh), Nathan Tella (groin) and Lyanco (hamstring) remain ruled out.
Everton could welcome Vitaliy Mykolenko back into contention following his return from self-isolation after a positive test for Coronavirus.
Tom Davies, Fabian Delph (both thigh), Ben Godfrey (hamstring), Yerry Mina (quad), Demarai Gray (hip) and Abdoulaye Doucoure (groin) remain absent.
Stat Attack
- Southampton have claimed just four points from their last five meetings against Everton (W1, D1, L3).
- Everton have won just one of their last five visits to St Mary’s Stadium (W1, L4).
- Richarlison has scored in each of his last two appearances for Everton against Southampton, albeit at Goodison Park rather than St Mary’s.
- Southampton haven’t kept a clean sheet in their last 15 matches (W5, D6, L4), during which they conceded 27 goals in all competitions.
- Everton have kept just one clean sheet in their first three matches under Frank Lampard (W2, L1).
Prediction
Southampton should be happy with four points from two difficult away matches where they were fearless in attack, especially last weekend at Man Utd where they defended well against quick attacks with great saves from Fraser Forster but wasted chances up front.
Everton meanwhile displaced excellent attacking energy in the press throughout complete with varied crosses and passes in their win over Leeds, which is a positive step forward but Southampton will be their toughest test yet under Frank Lampard’s management.
On that note, I can see a competitive game if both teams go all-out attack without fear but Southampton boast a good home record in recent seasons in this fixture, which should give them a mental edge especially after recent performances.
Prediction: Southampton 2-1 Everton
Result: Southampton 2-0 Everton