Looking to extend their unbeaten run to six matches, Southampton will welcome a new-look Birmingham City side to St Mary's Stadium for the Championship's Saturday lunchtime offering.
The Saints had to rely on some last-minute heroics to force a share of the spoils at Preston North End on Wednesday, while the pressure built on Blues' new management following a loss at home to Hull City.
Match preview
© Reuters
Southampton were able to maintain their forward momentum in the Championship with a 2-2 draw at Deepdale against Preston North End on Wednesday night, although it looked for a while as if the Saints would be condemned to their fifth defeat of the second-tier term after a five-match unbeaten streak.
Right-back Kyle Walker-Peters continued to show why many believe his talents belong in the Premier League as the former Tottenham Hotspur man curled in the opener for Russell Martin's men, but goals from Milutin Osmajic and Brad Potts flipped the game on its head within three second-half minutes.
The Saints boss praised the contributions of substitutes such as Stuart Armstrong and Ryan Fraser in his post-match interview, although the visitors' added-time equaliser was caused by an unlikely source, with goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu forcing Lilywhites attacker Ched Evans to put the ball into his own net from a corner.
As fellow newly-relegated outfit Leicester City canter into the Championship sunset under the expert leadership of Enzo Maresca, the Saints are focusing on closing the gap to second-placed Ipswich Town, and the Hampshire-based club are currently fifth in the league standings, 10 points behind the Tractor Boys.
Following the high-profile departures of James Ward-Prowse, Romeo Lavia and Nathan Tella during the summer transfer window, head coach Martin has been tasked with getting Southampton back amongst England's elite at the first attempt while also gelling together a number of new faces.
Having plied their trade in the Premier League for over a decade, the Saints' last matchup against Saturday's visitors at St Mary's was all the way back in September 2011, when Ricky Lambert and Adam Lallana made the net ripple as they beat Chris Hughton's promotion-chasing Blues 4-1.
© Reuters
Birmingham's shaky start under the stewardship of Wayne Rooney continued in front of a 19,000-strong crowd at St Andrew's against Hull on Wednesday night, when Blues were unrecognisable from the defensively-solid bunch that former boss John Eustace had been forcefully separated from a fortnight ago.
Despite struggles to beat Middlesbrough's press on the weekend during Rooney's maiden outing as boss, Blues soldiered on with their progressive approach from the offset against the Tigers and were quickly punished, with a poor Manny Longelo back pass allowing Liam Delap to round John Ruddy and net the game's opener.
With full-backs Cody Drameh and Longelo flying up the flanks at any opportunity, the hosts' centre-back pairing of Dion Sanderson and Kevin Long were often left exposed, and Hull winger Jaden Philogene was afforded too much room as he curled an effort into the bottom corner in the second period.
Manchester United legend Rooney conceded that members of the squad have already expressed their concerns over his front-footed approach, and the former England international is preparing to tweak his philosophy on the South Coast this weekend to suit the players at this disposal - footballers who were largely recruited for a different style of play.
Blues have struggled on the road so far this term, collecting just four points from six Championship outings, with their last win away from St Andrew's coming at Bristol City in August, when Koji Miyoshi and Lukas Jutkiewicz found the net during a vintage performance on the road from the Second City club.
Back-to-back losses have seen Birmingham drop from sixth to 12th in the second-tier standings, although the woeful starts of Rotherham United, Queens Park Rangers and Sheffield Wednesday have afforded Rooney at least half-a-dozen games to get his ideas working before worries of an annual relegation scrap can be taken seriously.
Team News
© Reuters
Southampton will be boosted by the return of first-choice left-back Ryan Manning this weekend, with the former Swansea City man having served his one-match suspension for collecting five yellow cards.
James Bree was gifted his first Championship start at Deepdale due to the absence of Manning, but the 25-year-old will have to settle for a place amongst the substitutes this time around.
Flynn Downes was replaced in the second period against Preston as he suffered from a migraine, but the midfielder should be well enough to partner Shea Charles and William Smallbone in the Saints' engine room.
Che Adams's chances of facing Birmingham for the first time since his departure from St Andrew's in 2019 were dealt a blow on Wednesday night, with the Scotland international being forced off due to a hamstring injury against the Lilywhites, meaning Sekou Mara may get the nod up front.
Birmingham have a suspension to navigate on the South Coast, as Curacao playmaker Juninho Bacuna will serve a one-game ban after picking up his fifth caution of the term last time out, with fellow midfielder Krystian Bielik one yellow card away from the same fate.
With Keshi Anderson, Lee Buchanan and Tyler Roberts all targeting returns to action following the November international break, Rooney is limited in how he can alter his XI, but the likes of Jordan James and Emanuel Aiwu should not be too far away from their first starts under the new boss.
Right-back Ethan Laird has returned to training this week after months sidelined due to a hamstring injury, but it remains to be seen whether the former Red Devil will be rushed back into action at St Mary's.
Southampton possible starting lineup:
Bazunu; Walker-Peters, Holgate, Bednarek, Manning; Smallbone, Downes, Charles; Armstrong, Sulemana, Mara
Birmingham City possible starting lineup:
Ruddy; Drameh, Sanderson, Aiwu, Longelo; Bielik, James, Gardner; Dembele, Miyoshi, Stansfield
We say: Southampton 3-1 Birmingham City
Southampton are beginning to show the form of a team fighting for a return to the Premier League, and the Saints should be confident of extending their unbeaten run against a Birmingham side who are still finding their feet with a new head coach at the helm.
Blues' tricky run of fixtures continues on the South Coast on the weekend, and Southampton's crop of attacking players will need no invitation to take advantage of the visitors' defensive fragilities under Rooney.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Carter White
