Russell Martin has been gearing up his Southampton squad for the short trip to AFC Bournemouth for Monday night’s south coast clash.
Southampton recently earned their first point of the season after a 1-1 draw with fellow newly-promoted Ipswich Town. Meanwhile, Bournemouth have only secured one Premier League win so far, coming from 2-0 down to defeat Everton 3-2.
Monday’s match at the Vitality Stadium promises to be an intriguing contest, with Russell Martin’s Southampton focusing on ball control, while Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth emphasize their off-the-ball work. Martin is under pressure to secure his first Premier League win, as the longer Southampton go without a victory, the more the pressure will build.
Chris Sutton predicts a loss for Southampton
While Bournemouth’s only win was against Everton, their only losses have come against Chelsea and Liverpool. With draws against Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United, Bournemouth sit on five points and are 13th in the table, while Southampton are 19th with just one point.
BBC Sport pundit Chris Sutton predicts Bournemouth will win 2-0, stating in his weekly predictions, “I can’t see past Bournemouth here. They carry a threat, even when they were being hammered by Liverpool. Southampton desperately need a win, but they’re not getting it here.”
Southampton need to start scoring more goals
Sutton’s prediction won’t please Southampton fans, but it reflects the team’s struggles this season. Most concerning is Sutton’s belief that Bournemouth will keep a clean sheet, highlighting Southampton’s lackluster attack.
So far, Southampton have only scored two league goals, with right-back Yukinari Sugawara and 18-year-old Tyler Dibling finding the net. None of Southampton’s strikers have scored a Premier League goal, a situation that needs to change quickly if they hope to stay in the division, starting against Bournemouth on Monday night.