Southampton return to Championship action on Saturday as they welcome Cardiff City to St Mary’s in a 3pm kick-off.
The Saints are in confident mood ahead of the clash, gaining ground on the automatic promotion spots after their 1-0 victory over Bristol City on Wednesday night.
Cardiff are seven point off Russell Martin’s side going into the game, just three points off a play-off spot so it will be another awkward obstacle for Southampton to try and overcome.
The Saints side has been pretty settled for the past month, but Martin made some personnel changes on Wednesday as he looks to negotiate a three-game week. It is anticipated that he will make some tweaks again for the visit of Cardiff, with some players set to regain their starting spot.
Che Adams to start up front?
When Kamaldeen Sulemana went off injured in the 35th minute against Bristol City it was something of a surprise to see him replaced by Che Adams rather than the more obvious options of Ryan Fraser or Sam Edozie.
Instead of swapping Sulemana for another winger, Martin opted to take the opportunity to change the shape by putting Adams up front. This meant Southampton changed to a diamond shape, rather than the 433 they had started the game playing. Carlos Alcaraz dropped into the attacking midfield role, with Adams and Adam Armstrong playing as split strikers.
This formation gave Southampton a level of control in central areas that meant they could really dominate proceedings, with the failure to find the final ball the difference between a narrow 1-0 win and a comfortable victory. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Martin use this system again and this paves the way for a start for Adams, although his recent form arguably doesn’t warrant this.
It is a big opportunity for Adams, should he have the desire to take it with his contract expiring in the summer and constant links with a January move away, given the news that both Sulemana and Ross Stewart will be out injured until at least the new year.
Russell Martin to return to regular starters
Shea Charles came into midfield on Wednesday in place of Will Smallbone and gave a stable performance, but expect Smallbone to take back his spot this weekend. Flynn Downes will continue as the anchor of the midfield, whilst Stuart Armstrong should also regain his spot despite sometimes struggling with three games in a week.
The back four is expected to see just one change which will be James Bree taking the left-back spot back off of Ryan Manning who came into the side on Wednesday; Bree’s defensive qualities likely the deciding factor.
Adam Armstrong will retain the captaincy and look to add to his own goals and four assists in the league this season.
With all of this taken into account, here is how Southampton are expected to line up against Cardiff:
(4-4-2 diamond): Bazunu (GK); Walker-Peters, Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Bree; Downes, Smallbone, S. Armstrong, Alcaraz; A. Armstrong, Adams