Southampton failed to open the floodgates against a weaker Swansea City in the opening fixture while West Ham United got crushed at the hands of Manchester United. Both the sides will be looking for their first victory when the Saints host the Hammers on Saturday.
Mauricio Pellegrino’s first game in charge saw the team dominating the entire match but due to some poor execution, they couldn’t grind out a goal. Virgil Van Dijk’s situation at the club continues to be a mystery as the Dutch defender has maintained a safe distance from the first team action.
Despite his absence, Saints back line looked pretty confident as the pair of Jack Stephens and Maya Yoshida gave a pretty solid performance.
Bilic gave all his four newcomers an immediate start but nothing seemed to have changed from the last season. The Hammers have spent pretty heavily this summer but Bilic needs to find a way to get the team back to winning ways. One positive from the last season was their away from.
The Hammers complemented their horrendous home form with their brilliant away form and they would like at least a half of last season’s cycle to come true when they face the Saints.
Predicted Lineup And Injury News
Southampton
Pellegrino has no fresh injury concerns and is expected to field the same team that played a goalless draw against Swansea City. Virgil Van Dijk is not in the contention for selection as speculation has intensified over his transfer.
Mario Lemina might make his first start for the Saints since his move from Juventus this summer.
Forster; Bertrand, Stephens, Yoshida, Soares; Lemina, Romeu; Redmond, Tadic, Ward-Prowse; Gabbiadini
West Ham United
Manuel Lanzini and Cheikhou Kouyate are set to sit out for this match due to injuries while Andy Carroll needs more time to get completely match fit from his groin injury.
Hart; Creswell, Ogbonna, Reid, Zabaleta; Noble, Obiang; Arnautovic, Fernandes, Ayew, Chicharito
Key Players
Southampton
Manolo Gabbiadini
Gabbiadini had five shots on goal in the last match but failed to find the back of the net and he would be hoping to have a much better luck in the next game.
West Ham United
Marko Arnautovic
He looked lively a number of times in the last match but didn’t get too many chances to make an impact against a dominating United side. In Lanzini’s absence, Arnautovic has to change his gear to provide the club with an attacking threat.
