Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the Premier League meeting between Southampton and Bournemouth at St Mary's Stadium. Bragging rights are up for grabs on the South Coast in the evening kickoff on this packed Saturday of top-flight action, with the two teams - separated by around 33 miles - locked on the same number of points heading into the final stretch.

The Cherries were embroiled in a relegation fight this time last month, but they have managed to get their season back on track and are now surely able to focus on another campaign of top-flight football. The home side can be forgiven for being in flight mode at the moment, meanwhile, having endured a stop-start year so far in terms of league fixtures, with their run to the EFL Cup final taking priority.

TEAM NEWS!

SOUTHAMPTON XI: Forster, Cedric, Stephens, Yoshida, Bertrand, Romeu, Davis, Ward-Prowse, Redmond, Tadic, Rodriguez

BOURNEMOUTH XI: Boruc, Smith, Francis, Cook, Daniels, Fraser, Surman, Gosling, Pugh, King, Afobe

Starting with a look at the visiting team, boss Eddie Howe has opted to go with an unchanged starting lineup from the rather comprehensive 2-1 win over Swansea City last time out. That means that Arsenal loanee Jack Wilshere is left on the bench for the fourth matchday running, despite the Cherries suffering some injury problems in the midfield area of late. Ryan Fraser was doubtful for this one, but he is deemed fit enough to feature from the off.

The visitors are still without the suspended Tyrone Mings and Lys Mousset misses out through injury, while Adam Federici, Callum Wilson and Rhoys Wiggins also remain on the sidelines. The other two players that fail to make the starting lineup this evening, despite being back in the squad, are Harry Arter and Junior Stanislas. Howe clearly liked the balance of his side at home to Swansea a fortnight ago and therefore sticks with a winning formula.

Leading appearance maker Steve Cook is handed a 30th start of the campaign for the Cherries, meanwhile, lining up alongside Simon Francis in defence. Howe has moved to two up top in recent weeks and that has worked wonders, with Joshua King scoring eight goals and setting up another in his last eight outings, while strike partner Benik Afobe really stepped things up against Swansea with one goal of his own and a huge part in another.

Switching focus to the home side now, boss Claude Puel has made just the one alteration from his side's 2-1 reverse at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur prior to the international break. The change is enforced, as star man Manolo Gabbiadini has been ruled out of this one with a groin injury and is replaced up top by Jay Rodriguez. Shane Long was the other alternative in that like-for-like swap, but it is the Englishman who has been given the nod today.

The loss of Gabbiadini is a real blow for Puel, having seen the ex-Napoli marksman score four in four in the Premier League and 11 in 24 overall this term, the majority of those appearances coming from the bench during his time in Italy. Charlie Austin is also still out through injury, while at the opposite end of the pitch Virgil van Dijk - still being heavily linked with the St Mary's exit - is unlikely to play again this season.

It is the first time the Saints have rejigged their starting lineup in four matches, and had Gabbiadini been fit tonight you can guarantee that Puel would have extended that run to match the previous longest streak set in December 2012. Dusan Tadic, who criticised his manager for the amount of times he has been taken off this season, will provide support for Rodriguez from the number 10 position, while England squad members James Ward-Prowse and Nathan Redmond take up spots on either wing.

BENCH WATCH!

SOUTHAMPTON SUBS: Hassen, Caceres, McQueen, Clasie, Hojbjerg, Boufal, Long

BOURNEMOUTH SUBS: Allsop, Cargill, Smith, Arter, Ibe, Wilshere, Stanislas

As mentioned a little earlier, Arter and Stanislas are both in the Bournemouth squad this evening after recovering from injury problems. The former was expected to start today, having sat out international duty with Republic of Ireland, but Howe has decided to stick with an unchanged side. Puel has opted against bringing in Martin Caceres, meanwhile, despite the amount of goals shipped of late, and an out-of-sorts Sofiane Boufal is also overlooked once again.

Southampton manager Claude Puel has made one change to his starting lineup for this evening's South Coast derby, bringing in Jay Rodriguez for injured striker Manolo Gabbiadini - a big loss to the side. Eddie Howe sticks with a winning formula, meanwhile, by naming the same XI that helped to see off Swansea City a couple of weeks ago, meaning still no place in the starting ranks for Arsenal loanee Jack Wilshere.

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All bar one of the 3pm kickoffs in the Premier League have now concluded, so let us take a quick check on how things stand prior to this evening affair on the South Coast. Hull City and Leicester City have both picked up maximum points among the sides at the bottom, but Sunderland now look completely doomed after falling to defeat at Watford. Crystal Palace are seconds away from one of the results of the season, leading Chelsea 2-1 at Stamford Bridge, while elsewhere Manchester United were held at home by West Bromwich Albion.

How does that leave the table? Well it is fair to say that Southampton and Bournemouth will not be pushing for one of those European spots this season, though in terms of the bottom half the gap on relegation stands at just the six points for both following huge wins for Palace, Hull and Leicester. Neither can be completely ruled out of being dragged right into the mix just yet, so there is now a little more importance on this match. The table in full can be viewed here.

Heading into this latest round of matches, Southampton were positioned exactly midway in the table in 10th, perhaps summing up the mediocrity of how things have panned out in Puel's first season in charge. A tad harsh, perhaps, but Saints fans have grown accustomed to seeing their side go one better year after year in terms of league position under Mauricio Pochettino and Ronald Koeman, so this feels like a little step backwards in terms of their league campaign.

Their season effectively ended when losing 3-2 to Man United at Wembley Stadium in February, coming close to ending their long-running wait for some silverware only to come unstuck due to the form of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Finishing in the top half of the table, which the Saints are well on course to achieving if they return to winning ways today, is certainly not a terrible way for Puel to mark his first campaign outside of French football, particularly when throwing that cup run into the mix.

Southampton lost six out of seven between the end of December and the start of January to slide down the table, but they have never been in danger of facing the drop. It will take another couple of defeats for that to be the case, realistically speaking, though lose today and just five teams will stand between themselves and the drop zone. Following that dire run earlier this year, the Saints then won successive away games against Watford and Sunderland, scoring four in both, to ease some of the pressure.

Momentum was lost with defeat to Spurs in their last match before the two-week break, though - "momentum" being used lightly there, because a run of league games is not something they have been blessed with since the turn of the year. The Saints have played just eight Premier League games in 2017, in fact, which must be incredibly frustrating for Puel, particularly after seeing the club's hopes of lifting silverware come to a cruel end a little over a month ago.

Having played just the eight league games in the first three months of the year, Southampton now have some catching up to do and they face a run of six games in April - starting with a showdown with neighbours Bournemouth today. The Saints, who have lost five of their last seven matches in league and cup, also take on Manchester City and Chelsea in successive matches later this month, so it may be a case of grinding out the wins to get over the 40-points mark sooner rather than later.

DID YOU KNOW? Southampton have scored just 14 Premier League goals at home this season which, after strugglers Middlesbrough, is the lowest tally in the division. The Saints have also dropped 17 points from winning positions this season; today's opponents Bournemouth the only side to hold claim to a higher figure. That old cliche about the first goal being vital does not work for this match.

What would constitute a good first campaign in English football for Southampton manager Claude Puel? Things do not look all that good for his side at the moment when taking a glance at the Premier League table, with just six points between themselves and the relegation zone, but victory today and a top-half finish is still a realistic target, and they also made it all the way to the EFL Cup final recently.

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Bournemouth moved nine points clear of the relegation zone with victory over fellow strugglers Swansea last time out, but that gap has been reduced to six points ahead of this match. The Cherries were on an alarming slide down the division after losing four in a row and picking up just three points from a possible 21 between New Year's Day and the beginning of March, but they have stopped the slide and you would now fancy them to safely get over the line in the remaining weeks.

The slump stopped in many ways with a battling display at Old Trafford when earning a 1-1 draw; a game now best remembered for the incidents involving Ibrahimovic and Mings. That was followed up by back-to-back victories over West Ham United and Swansea, the latter of which provided the Cherries with a rare clean sheet to build on. The picture, it is fair to say, now looks far less bleak, with top half a target for Howe should he navigate his side past the Saints today.

The Cherries do face a horror run of games, however, with Liverpool and Spurs away to come in the next fortnight, plus league leaders Chelsea in-between. After that they take on three sides in relegation trouble, so the division's Manager of the Month for March will not be getting too carried away just yet. The South Coast side are very much at a crossroads; seemingly enough points on the board to remain immediately out of danger for now but needing to do more if they are to make certain of top-flight status.

Bournemouth are going in search of three wins in a row today for the first time since March 2016 - a sequence of results that included a win over Southampton. They have conceded 21 goals in their last eight away games, though, with their poor overall defensive record finally being rectified with a clean sheet against Swansea 14 days ago. The Cherries have been awarded a league-high nine penalties this term, meanwhile, seven of which have been converted.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS! Bournemouth have never previously won at Southampton, losing eight and drawing four of the previous 12 league and cup encounters. The Cherries have lost 2-0 in all three previous matches at St Mary's Stadium, while also going down 3-1 in the reverse fixture earlier this season - a Jay Rodriguez double helping the Saints to come back from a goal down just before Christmas.

With kickoff at St Mary's Stadium now less than 10 minutes away, let us check out some pre-match thoughts from both camps.

Claude Puel: "We now have many players available for the team with good spirit. When I can't take an international in the team like Jordy Clasie, it's difficult for me for him to stay at home. It's always difficult to make a choice, but it's important for all the team to have the respect of the staff and all the players."

Eddie Howe: "We've never won there, so we want to create history this weekend. From our perspective, this weekend is a bit of a different game for us. We want to give our supporters something to shout about. We've been more consistent recently, but we know there's a long way to go and that we have a tough run of fixtures ahead."

Howe has called on his players to "create history" by becoming the first group of Bournemouth players to win away at Southampton. It is a run stretching 12 league and cup games, with the Cherries simply unable to stop the rot. The impressive young boss is right to point out that the consistency is beginning to return, but will they be able to make it three wins in a row in the top flight for the first time in over a year this evening?

Puel was explaining his decision to leave out certain established names, such as Clasie, with the starting lineup remaining constant in the last three games prior to this one. Only an injury to their star man up top forced the Frenchman to tinker with things today, but fitness is certainly not an issue as the Saints have played so few league games in the first three months of the year. Will that tell over the next couple of hours in this derby?

Both sets of players are now out on the field of play, with kickoff just a couple of minutes away. Good atmosphere inside St Mary's Stadium, as Bournemouth attempt to pick up a first ever win at the home of rivals Southampton. Puel is aiming for a top-10 finish this term, but right now both he and Howe will just want to put another seven points on the board to make sure of safety.

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KICKOFF! We are up and running on the South Coast, where Bournemouth are sporting a changed sky blue strip and Southampton are in their tradition red and white stripes. Both teams have shown that they can find the net in recent weeks, so fingers crossed for some goals!

Bertrand with a slack challenge on Fraser to concede a free kick, which Bournemouth look to work down the left-hand flank through another England international in Ward-Prowse. The Saints seeing a fair amount of the ball early on.

Good Southampton play down the left-hand flank, with the cross coming in from Bertrand into a dangerous area but it came to nothing. Prior to that, Tadic fired over when finding space on the edge of the opposition box.

Bournemouth yet to really get going in an attacking sense just yet, with the hosts asking most of the questions. Tadic is picked out in space again but Rodriguez cannot quite run in behind when the ball is slotted through.

SHOT! The Saints knocking on the door for that opener as they continue to play high up the pitch. Rodriguez knocks the ball down for Tadic, who drags his second attempt of the evening wide of the target from an angle.

Cook has picked up a knock and is currently receiving some treatment. Plenty of room for Tadic to operate in so far, which has given opposition boss Howe some cause for concern in the opening 11 minutes or so of this contest.

Forster reads the danger and is quickly off his line to collect the ball. The Cherries barely managed to string passes together in the final third thus far, with Afobe and King cutting isolated figures up top.

GOAL DISALLOWED! A near-perfect cross comes in from the left-hand flank for Rodriguez, who sees his initial attempt kept out by Boruc and then pokes home the rebound. Offside flag was correctly raised, though.

SAVE! Rodriguez, just a couple of minutes after being denied by the linesman's flag, has a go from 15 yards out but is thwarted by a routine enough stop from Boruc down low. Southampton a dominant force so far.

No real change to the flow of this match - Southampton completely dominating possession and creating the odd opening, but not truly doing enough to find a way through on goal for that key opener. King and Afobe very quiet so far.

Redmond too quick for his man and draws a foul. The visitors struggling badly at the moment to live with their opponents all over the pitch, but they will point to the scoreline which remains goalless a quarter of the way through.

Ward-Prowse and Rodriguez link up well and the latter earns his side a corner, greeted by ironic cheers from home fans after referee Jonathan Moss incorrectly awarded the visitors a goal kick a few minutes ago.

Fraser reads Southampton's corner-kick routine well and is quick to close down Ward-Prowse on the edge of the box, picking up a knock to the knee for his troubles. The Scotsman is OK to continue, but that is one to keep an eye on with Wilshere waiting in the wings.

A big afternoon for sides at the bottom, as Leicester, Hull and Palace all picked up maximum points - the latter incredibly beating Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. That leaves these two teams just six points from danger, as Gosling belts one over the bar from close to 30 yards.

That Gosling attempt from the end of a corner is near enough the Cherries' best moment of the match so far. The Saints dropped off things a little and now we have a more balanced game on our hands a third of the way through.

Bournemouth were struggling to get a foot on the ball for the first 25 minutes or so of the match, but they have enjoyed a fair share of possession since then. Very little in terms of chances at either end so far; Boruc making the only save of the match.

OFF THE LINE! The momentum in this match has completely swung now, as Davis comes to his side's rescue on the line. A corner into the danger zone was horribly dealt with by Forster, with Surman getting a foot to it and nearly opening the scoring, but Davis was the hero on the line.

Not a great deal between the two teams on the whole, then, with Bournemouth the better team in the past 10 minutes following a spell of Southampton domination. Cedric with a dangerous ball in but Cook was there to clear away.

CLOSE! Arguably Southampton's best chance of the match so far, as Cedric again sends in a good cross from the right. Tadic was waiting on the end of it, but after adjusting his feet his clipped the outside of the post with his shot.

Forster for the second time today makes the wrong decision when racing off his line by clattering into the back of Stephens and, thankfully for him, seeing the loose ball dealt with. Stephens back on the pitch following some treatment.

Into the final four minutes of the second half and it is Southampton who look the more likely to score. Bournemouth had a good 10-minute spell but it is the Saints who have done more to warrant a breakthrough in this South Coast derby.

SAVE! Two big chances for Southampton to open the scoring. Yoshida glanced the ball wide from close range when unmarked from a corner, just moments before Rodriguez was played in but denied brilliantly by Boruc.

Rodriguez fails to make contact with the ball when picked out near the back post, but the offside flag went up regardless. Two minutes of added time to come and Howe will be desperate to hear that whistle sound.

Referee Jonathan Moss brings a goalless first half at St Mary's Stadium to a close. Southampton were the better side on the whole, coming close through a couple of Dusan Tadic attempts - one of which skimmed the post - while Bournemouth's best opening saw Steven Davis clear off the line.

The home side largely dominated the opening 45 minutes, coming close to an early opener when Dusan Tadic got on the end of Jay Rodriguez's knockdown but dragged his attempt wide. The ball was in the net soon after as Rodriguez, in the side for injured striker Manolo Gabbiadini - the Saints' first alteration to their starting XI in four matches - fired past Artur Boruc at the second attempt only to see the offside flag correctly go up.

Rodriguez was certainly looking to make an impression, having been given the nod over Shane Long from the off, but his next attempt was easily dealt with by Boruc from a little further out. Bournemouth had a 10-minute respite midway through the half as they managed to enjoy some possession, creating their best opening when a loose ball was prodded goalwards by Andrew Surman, with Steven Davis the hero for Southampton on the line.

The Saints created a late flurry of chances in the first half, seeing Tadic clip the outside of the post after being picked out by Cedric Soares, before Maya Yoshida glanced wide unmarked from a corner and Rodriguez's belter was helped over by Boruc. It is the home side who deserve to be ahead at the break, but will either manager turn to their bench at the midway point?

SOUTHAMPTON SUBS: Hassen, Caceres, McQueen, Clasie, Hojbjerg, Boufal, Long

BOURNEMOUTH SUBS: Allsop, Cargill, Smith, Arter, Ibe, Wilshere, Stanislas

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RESTART! It appeared as though both teams were unchanged at the start of the second half, but Arter is still going through his warm-up routine on the touchline. Can only assume it was a late alteration, with Surman going off.

Surman was actually still on the pitch when going off, which makes that change even more surprising. Clearly wanted to see if he could run off the injury but he pulled up within five seconds or so of the restart.

Bringing on Arter makes sense regardless of the injury to Surman, but if Southampton continue to dominate do not be surprised to see Wilshere replace Afobe - or possibly King - in the next five or 10 minutes.

A very quiet start to the second half, unfortunately, with neither side able to create any openings. Three attempts on goal so far this evening - two for Southampton and one for Bournemouth. Puel may be tempted to put Long alongside Rodriguez.

Southampton with some nice football but Rodriguez is frustratingly flagged for offside when running in behind. This game is crying out for Gabbiadini, while Bournemouth are over-reliant on their forward pairing - 10 of the Cherries' last 12 goals coming from them.

Wilshere steps up his warm-up routine which could be a sign that he is about to be introduced. Howe will see this as a positive point but there is a chance to go all out and pick up an historic win at the home of their rivals.

Serious lack of ideas out there at the moment. Another flat ball from the visitors runs right down the middle for Forster to collect, as we close in on the hour mark - the period in the match when both managers will surely turn to their bench.

The attendance has just been announced as 31,847 at St Mary's Stadium. Not a great deal for those in the stands to get excited about so far, particularly in this flattest of seconds halves. Pitch invader on the pitch now to liven things up.

CHANCE! An important touch from Cook takes the ball from Rodriguez's foot. Bournemouth counter and create by far the best chance of the match, as King slides Afobe clean through but he slots it wide with just Forster to beat.

SAVE! No idea how Afobe squandered that big chance, and that could well spark some action from Southampton. Redmond finds room for a shot that is awkwardly dealt with by Boruc, with Ward-Prowse firing wide from the rebound.

SOUTHAMPTON SUBS! Puel at long last makes some changes, bringing on fresh legs in attack. Long and Boufal replace Ward-Prowse and Rodriguez with a little under 25 minutes to play in a match that has livened up in the past few moments.

Soares' delivery from the right is crying out for someone to get on the end of, but Long is not yet up to speed and is unable to pounce. Bournemouth on course for a fifth draw here in 13 league and cup meetings.

CLOSE! That pace of Long is utilised for the first time since he was introduced, with the Irishman running in behind and looking to loft it over the reach of Boruc. He got the height but not the precision, as the ball ended narrowly wide of the far post.

BOURNEMOUTH SUB! Wilshere is now on for King, with Bournemouth padding out that midfield. A little surprised that King went off and not Afobe, but he may well be a little fatigued due to his international exploits.

OFF THE POST! The game is certainly alive now! Smith picks out the post with a well-struck shot from range, and Pugh was unable to fire home from the rebound following a poor first touch just six yards out.

That change has worked wonders for the Cherries, because all of a sudden then have Southampton pegged back in their own final third. The ball bounces around in the box but the shot, when it finally arrives, is blocked aside.

PENALTY TO BOURNEMOUTH! Fraser runs across Bertrand at the end of a Wilshere through-ball and is pulled down by the England international, earning his side a penalty with 12 minutes to play. Harry Arter is the man lining up to take it...

PENALTY MISSED! This is right up there. One of THE all-time worst penalty misses. Arter steps up and loses his footing, sending the ball into the higher reaches of the stand. Bournemouth build another attack but Afobe fails to test Forster.

SOUTHAMPTON SUB! Tadic, the man who admitted recently that he hates being taken off, is indeed taken off with eight minutes to go. Sam McQueen on in his place as Puel tinkers with things slightly following that penalty scare.

A couple of shots from range which fail to test Boruc, as Southampton push for a late winner. Bournemouth are the more deserving of victory on the basis of this second half, particularly after missing from the spot.

Bournemouth have now missed three pens in a row, incidentally, with this latest one now likely to cost them all three points. One point is a decent return for the short journey back, but Howe will know that the win was there for the taking - still is!

SAVE! Arter looks to make amends for his penalty miss with a good attempt from range, which Boruc does well to palm to safety. The Saints having to hold on a little now, having dominated for so long in the first half.

YELLOW CARD! Three minutes have been added on at the end of the match. The first yellow card of the match is shown to Oriol Romeu a trip on his opponent, giving the visitors a chance to punt the ball into the box for perhaps one final change.

The free kick comes to little and Southampton can breathe again. Think Puel will take the point at this rate, with the Cherries on top ever since they padded out their midfield about 20 minutes ago. Sixty seconds left to play!

Referee Jonathan Moss blows for full time, meaning that the spoils are shared at St Mary's Stadium. The game had its quiet moments, particularly in the opening 15 minutes of the second half, but on the whole it was entertaining and both teams did enough to claim all three points. In the end, though, it is the Cherries who will feel the most hard done by as Harry Arter missed from the spot.

That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events on the South Coast. An on-the-whistle report can be found by clicking here, while reaction from this and all of the day's other Premier League games can be found elsewhere on the site. Thanks for joining!