Southampton have had a solid season till now and are currently sitting in the 10th spot. They are within touching distance of clubs as high as 6th placed. Claude Puel has been able to impart his views and philosophy in a relatively short period of time and the players have shown commendable ability and willingness to adapt. The changes and the successful transition is apparent from their displays and results. Aiding them in their positive run is their extremely solid and dependable centre-back pairing of Jose Fonte and Virgil Van Dijk. The two have been top notch and are understandably attracting interest from across Europe with especially big English Premier League clubs supposedly heading the queue.
The Saints will be facing big-time strugglers Crystal Palace this weekend at the Selhurst Park. The away side will be seeing it as a winnable match but will be wary of the unpredictable nature of the hosts.
Alan Pardew will be desperate for the 3-points or a draw at least with a positive performance as a loss here will probably cut short his stint. Palace have the players to challenge the Saints and probably triumph over them. But their ridiculous consistency in being inconsistent leaves a lot to be desired if you are a Crystal Palace fan.
PREDICTED SOUTHAMPTON LINE-UP VS CRYSTAL PALACE (4-3-3)
DEFENCE
Fraser Forster will be in goal and has to be on his toes to keep out the talented Palace attackers at bay. He has to command his area well with Benteke expected to look to use his aerial ability during set-pieces to unsettle the defence.
Cédric Soares will be at right back and has to deal with the flair of the likes of Zaha or Townsend. The ever-dependable duo of Jose Fonte and Van Dijk will once again marshall the centre of the defence with Ryan Bertrand at left-back.
MIDFIELD
Oriol Romeu has adjusted well to his role at the base of the 3-man midfield and will have to play an integral role in breaking up attacks and recycling possession. Pierre-Emile Højbjerg will be on the right side of the midfield while James Ward-Prowse will be stationed on the left-side. His inch-perfect set-piece deliveries will come in useful.
ATTACK
Nathan Redmond will most likely on the left-wing and would want to get back to goal scoring ways. Charlie Austin will be leading the line while Josh Sims will be hoping for another start after having impressed last weekend and against Arsenal last night.
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