Southampton are travelling to Craven Cottage for their third-round FA Cup fixture against an inform Fulham team.
The hosts coming into this game after a dominating 4-1 win against Ipswich Town. The Tractor Boys had no answer for Fulham who slotted in 4 goals in quick successions to end the tie for good.
The Cottagers have a full bill of health whereas Mauricio Pellegrino has to rotate his squad around a few injuries.
The Saints have not registered a single win since their 4-1 result against Everton on 26th November. The fans were left in despair after a visiting Crystal Palace ran away with 3 points in the last fixture seeing the club match points with Stoke City in the relegation zone.
Haunted by their uncertain Premier League fixture, Pellegrino might not employ all his best resources for this fixture.
The Saints were preparing for a League Cup semi-final against Liverpool this time last year and were well cemented in the mid-table of the league. But after suffering a heavy defensive loss in Virgil van Dijk, Pellegrino’s problems are compounded by the absence of a few key players.
He is expected to field his men in the 4-2-3-1 formation.
Defence
Alex McCarthy has replaced Fraser Forster in between the sticks for the last couple of games. Nobody knows why the manager made the decision but the 29-year-old might return ahead of McCarthy in this matchup.
Cedric Soares is still nursing his injury on the sidelines and Jeremy Pied is expected to resume his duties on the right back position.
Ryan Bertrand returned to the starting lineup after as spell with injury, but he might not start against the Lillywhites. Matt Target should get the nod ahead of Bertrand in the left-back role.
Wesley Hoedt did not feature in the last match and is expected to pair up with Jack Stephens in the centre-back roles.
Midfield
Mario Lemina is expected to start ahead of Pierre-Emile Højbjerg around the centre circle. He should be paired up with Oriol Romeu with the duo delegated with a lot of defensive responsibilities.
Steven Davis might appear in front of the duo in the attacking midfield role. The left flank is expected to be filled up by Nathan Redmond after his substitute appearance in the last fixture.
James Ward-Prowse should start on the right.
Attack
Shane Long’s goalless run for 35 games finally ended against Crystal Palace. However, it was not enough to get the Saints the win and he might not start in this matchup. Manolo Gabbiadini should be given a chance to prove himself in the number nine role.
