The Saints enter St. Mary’s for the last time this season tomorrow facing an Aston Villa squad who is playing well under new manager Tim Sherwood. Two games remain in the Premier League season and the race for European competition is heating up. Several weeks ago the Saints look destined for an easy top seven finish, possibly finishing as high as fifth, but their wavering form has got fans worried.
The table is close and Southampton sits nervously in seventh with 57. Tottenham sit in fifth with 58 points after losing last Saturday and Swansea have emerged as European dark horses with their win at the Emirates on Monday creeping up with 56 points. Southampton must return to form and grab three points against Aston Villa if they wish to guarantee Europe with a sixth place finish.
Manager Ronald Koeman said “To be finished in the sixth position I think we need at least 4 points.”
The Saints will receive a much-needed boast with James Ward-Prowse returning from his suspension he picked up against Sunderland two weeks ago. Morgan Schneiderlin and Dušan Tadić are still nursing their injuries and will be out against Aston Villa. Ronald Koeman seemed open to the idea of Jay Rodriguez, a player who has missed the entire season to date, possibly subbing on in the final minutes this upcoming Saturday. The U-21 game with Manchester City has been rescheduled which Koeman has hinted will be Rodriguez’s official return so it will be unlikely he plays versus Aston Villa.
Paulo Gazzaniga made a surprise appearance versus Leicester City last week and made several mistakes in goal, look for Kelvin Davis to reclaim his spot as the number one in front of St. Mary’s on Saturday.
Filip Djuricic came on late versus Leicester City and was one of the few bright spots in game that was very frustrating for the Saints in the attacking third. You should not be surprised if he makes an appearance in the starting lineup.
Southampton will be looking to get back on track after only receiving 4 points from their last 5 matches. They go up against an Aston Villa squad who is playing well and captured 10 points from their last 5 matches as well as a 2-1 victory versus Liverpool in the FA Cup.
Koeman mentioned that Aston Villa is playing more offensive football under Tim Sherwood, something he believes will help his squad and create a more open game. One thing is for sure, Southampton must be more positive with the ball, especially at the start of the game, something that they failed to do versus Leicester last Saturday.
Read Southampton Predicted Lineup:
Davis,
Bertrand, Alderweireld, Fonte, Clyne,
Wanyama, Ward-Prowse,
Davis, Elia, Mané,
Pelle.
