Southampton will be hoping to pull off a late Christmas miracle when they host struggling Brentford on Saturday afternoon.
The Saints have lost both games under Ivan Juric and are still languishing at the bottom of the table. They have collected just six points over the first half of the season and look destined for a return to the Championship, with ten points separating them from safety.
Brentford will view Saturday's trip south as the perfect opportunity to end their five-game winless run Arsenal are the latest to punish out-of-the-box bees on New Year's Day. However, Thomas Frank's side are yet to win away from home, picking up just two draws from nine Premier League trips.
here 90 minutes A Guide to a Nervous Relationship at St. Mary's.
Southampton vs Brentford H2H record (last five matches)
Current form (all competitions)
|
Southampton |
Brentford |
|---|---|
|
Crystal Palace 2-1 Southampton – 12/29/24 |
Brentford 1-3 Arsenal – 01/01/25 |
|
Southampton 0-1 West Ham – 12/26/24 |
Brighton 0-0 Brentford – 12/27/24 |
|
Fulham 0-0 Southampton – 12/22/24 |
Brentford 0-2 Nottingham Forest – 12/21/24 |
|
Southampton 1-2 Liverpool – 12/18/24 |
Newcastle 3-1 Brentford – 12/18/24 |
|
Southampton 0-5 Tottenham – 12/15/24 |
Chelsea 2-1 Brentford – 12/15/24 |
|
nation |
TV Channel/Live Broadcast |
|---|---|
|
UK |
Radio commentary and updates on talkSPORT, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio Solent and BBC London 94.9 |
|
US |
peacock |
|
Canada |
fuboTV Canada, Fubo Sports Network 6 Canada |
Southampton The team still finds themselves without long-term absences Gavin Bazunu, Juan Larios and Ross Stewart, while Jack Stevens is likely to miss the visit of Brentford due to injury. Will Smallbone is close to returning but could miss the weekend.
Flynn Downes is assessed before kick-off after suffering a leg injury but the big loss for Southampton will be Matthews Fernandes. One of the club's most prominent stars this season, he was suspended after receiving his fifth yellow card of the season against Crystal Palace last time out.
Southampton expected lineup against Brentford (5-2-1-2): Ramsdell; Brey, Harwood-Bellis, Bednarik, Wood, Walker-Peters; Ugochukwu, yes; dibbling; Onuachu, Armstrong.
The injuries were constant and frustrating Brentford this season but Frank revealed that everyone who appeared against Arsenal is available on Saturday. This meant that the returning Mark Flecken, Sepp van den Berg and Mattias Jensen all emerged from the defeat unscathed.
However, the Bees remain without a number of important key players. Fabio Carvalho is absent due to a thigh injury, while Christopher Ajer, Rico Henry, Ben Mee, Aaron Hickey and Ethan Pinnock are absent from defence. Igor Thiago, Gustavo Nunes and Joshua DaSilva are all also missing.
Brentford's expected lineup against Southampton (4-3-1-2): stain; Roerslev, Collins, van den Bergh, Lewis Potter; Gunnelt, Norgaard, Jensen; Damsgard. Mbeumo, Wesa.
Brentford have been in disappointing form of late with mounting injuries, but still have a wealth of impressive attacking options, headlined by Yoane Wissa and Brian Mbeumo. Kevin Sheedy can also have a big impact on the outcome, whether from the bench or from the start.
Southampton have never emerged from a crisis this season and have been shameful defensively. Things have improved since Russell Martin's departure but they still lack the quality at both ends of the pitch required to stay in the division.
Brentford can get their first away win of the season at St Mary's to pile on the misery for Saints.
