Southampton play host to Sunderland at St Mary's Stadium on Saturday afternoon with both sides still looking for their first win of the new Premier League season.

Both teams have encountered one of the big-spending Manchester clubs in their first two matches but Claude Puel and David Moyes will both be keen to reach the international break having registered at least one victory from their fixtures in August.

Southampton

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When Southampton allowed Ronald Koeman to depart for Everton, there was concern among the supporters that the club could have potentially done more to secure the long-term future of the Dutchman, and that worry will remain until the team get up and running for the season.

New boss Puel has overseen a 1-1 draw against a spirited Watford outfit and a 2-0 defeat away at Manchester United - a result which could become the norm this season - so Southampton have hardly made a disastrous start to the campaign.

Nevertheless, if Southampton want to replicate their top-six finish from last season, they cannot afford to drop further points at home to Sunderland and the team's result and performance this weekend could really set the tone for the remainder of the year.

Victory would leave them in mid-table ahead of a trip to Arsenal but a third failure to get three points on the board would leave Puel and his squad under more pressure to perform at the Emirates Stadium against the man - Arsene Wenger - who advised the Saints to appoint his fellow Frenchman in the summer.

Despite losing at Old Trafford, there were positives to take from their display with the team creating more opportunities and having a greater share of possession than their hosts but with Graziano Pelle having departed for China, they are lacking a cutting edge in the final third.

From 37 shots on goal, Southampton have only netted one goal and hit the target seven times, and with Jay Rodriguez and Charlie Austin rumoured to be available for transfer, Puel will need to strengthen his forward line before the end of the transfer window.

Recent form: DL

Sunderland

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New Sunderland boss Moyes has said on more than one occasion that he is expecting a relegation battle this season and that prediction may come to fruition should he fail to gain a result this weekend.

The North-East side were unfortunate to lose out to Manchester City on the opening day of the season but their below-par display against rivals Middlesbrough would have only increased the negativity at the Stadium of Light.

Moyes has stressed that new signings must be made before the end of the transfer window but the manner in which they went 2-0 behind suggested that the former Man United boss has more pressing issues to deal with than the quality of player he can select.

The majority of the last five years have been spent scraping for top-flight survival and while Moyes will have long-term ambitions to move the team up the standings, he has correctly identified that it will take time to oversee a change in mentality at the club.

The 1-0 win over Shrewsbury Town in the EFL Cup was a small step in the right direction but some of the Sunderland squad will have to tackle the demons of returning to St Mary's for the first time since shipping eight goals last season.

The Black Cats will always have a goal in them as long as Jermain Defoe is on the pitch but for Moyes, this weekend will be about keeping it tight at the back while Southampton dominate possession - as they did at Old Trafford - and hope that Defoe or one of his flair players can produce a moment of magic.

Recent form: LL
Recent form (all competitions): LLW

Team News

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Puel said in his pre-match press conference that left-back Ryan Bertrand had returned to training ahead of the game but suggested that he may only make the substitutes' bench.

Oriol Romeu is fit after recovering from a knock picked up against United but Jeremy Pied is out after the defender suffered a knee injury in training.

Rodriguez is likely to remain on the bench providing that the club have decided against loaning out to earn regular first-team football.

As for Sunderland, John O'Shea is a likely absentee after coming off injured against Middlesbrough while Jordan Pickford will deputise for Vito Mannone after the Italian was ruled out for three months.

Steven Pienaar could be handed his first Premier League start for Sunderland but Lee Cattermole and Jan Kirchoff are out until at least the middle of September.

New signing Javier Manquillo is likely to be named in the 18-man squad.

Southampton possible starting lineup:
Forster; Cedric, Fonte, Van Dijk, Targett; Davis, Romeu, Tadic, Hojbjerg; Redmond, Long

Sunderland possible starting lineup:
Pickford, van Aanholt, Djilobodji, McNair, Love, Rodwell, Gooch, Khazri, Pienaar, Januzaj, Defoe

Head To Head

Saturday's fixture will represent the 66th time that the two clubs have met in a competitive fixture, with Southampton currently holding a 25-24 advantage in their historical head-to-head record.

Despite their contrasting fortunes since Southampton's return to the top flight, it is Sunderland who have fared better since 2012 with the Black Cats claiming four wins and four draws from 10 meetings.

Last season's contest at St Mary's - which took place in March - ended in a 1-1 draw, with Virgil van Dijk scoring a last-gasp equaliser to deny the visitors.

We say: Southampton 2-0 Sunderland

With Sunderland playing this fixture less than 72 hours after having competed against Shrewsbury Town in the EFL Cup, we have to back Southampton to capitalise on any tiredness in the Black Cats ranks. There may not be too many goals on the south coast but we are predicting that the Saints will run out comfortable winners.

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