The Saints’ return to the Premier League did not start on an ideal note as Southampton suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat at the hands of Newcastle United last weekend.
This defeat was particularly demoralising for Southampton because the Magpies had picked up a red card early in the first half. Despite going one man down they scored a goal and even managed to hold onto the lead till the final whistle.
The Saints’ second game will be a lot easier because they will face Nottingham Forest on Saturday and Forest could only manage a draw in their season opener against Bournemouth. Southampton had 77.7% possession against a 10-man Newcastle United but still, they could not make it count. However, Russell Martin will have to ensure that his team puts up some point on the board by the end of matchweek 2 otherwise they will be playing catch-up for the remainder of the season.
Southampton’s team news and injuries:
Southampton have been trying to sign Justin Bijlow from Dutch side Feyenoord but even if the deal goes through, the Saints won’t be able to register him in time to play against Forest.
Kamaldeen Sulemana is out with an ankle injury while midfielder Adam Lallana is on the sides due to a muscle problem. The pair do not have any major issues but they are not going to be fit in time for Saturday’s home game.
The Saints have signed Lesley Ugochukwu on loan from Chelsea but we don’t think Martin will put his faith on the 20-year-old in just the second game of the season. Apart from Ugochukwu, Southampton have also signed Mateus Fernandes and Cameron Archer and even though the trio has trained with the rest of the squad, neither of them is expected to start at the weekend.
Unless there is a late injury, Russell Martin will name an unchanged side when Nottingham Forest come to the St Mary’s Stadium.
Southampton had made 579 accurate passes and had an xG of 1.77 against a 10-man Newcastle United but they could only manage four shots on target. The home side will have to up their game on Saturday and make sure that they can convert the possession and the chances into goals or else it will be another depressing outing.
Southampton predicted line up vs Forest:
Predicted Starting XI(3-5-2): McCarthy; Stephens, Bednarek, Harwood-Bellis; Walker-Peters, Joe Aribo, Downes, Smallbone, Sugawara; Brereton, Adam Armstrong.
