Southampton will be looking to get back to winning ways on Saturday afternoon.
The Saints have now lost their last three consecutive games in all competitions, following defeat to Liverpool in the FA Cup on Wednesday night.
Perhaps more worryingly, it is now three defeats in four Championship games for Russell Martin‘s side. That has seen them drop to 4th in the table, five points adrift of the automatic promotion places.
That has ramped up the pressure on Southampton in the battle to secure promotion back to the Premier League.
Next up for the Saints, is a trip to St Andrew’s to face Birmingham City on Saturday afternoon.
Now it seems as though one pundit believes they will just about be able to get back on track in that match.
David Prutton expecting narrow Southampton win on Saturday
Like their visitors, Birmingham City also find themselves in a challenging position, albeit at the other end of the table.
Last week saw Blues lose 3-1 at Ipswich Town. That has left them 18th in the standings, just three points clear of the relegation zone.
Now it seems as though Prutton believes that Southampton will just about take advantage of that when the two sides meet at the weekend.
Writing about the game in his regular predictions column for Sky Sports, the former Southampton midfielder said:
“Birmingham put up a good fight at Ipswich last weekend, only to be edged out. There are just three points between themselves and the bottom three now, which may leave them feeling a little edgy.
“Speaking of feeling edgy… Southampton have lost three from four and are five points off Leeds heading into the weekend. It looks like the wheels may have come off at the wrong time, and they need to put them back on before arriving at St Andrew’s. I think they will just about get back to winning ways.”
As a result, Prutton has predicted a 2-1 win for the Saints over Birmingham City on Saturday.
Victory a must for the Saints
It is absolutely essential that Southampton pick up the win over their hosts this weekend.
The longer this dip in form goes on, the harder it is going to be for them to get out of it.
However, there is certainly an opportunity here for them to get back to the business of claiming all three points.
Birmingham City stuttered last weekend, and are missing the presence of manager Tony Mowbray in the dugout, as he undergoes medical treatment.
That could be making life harder for Blues on the pitch, something Southampton may be able to take advantage of.
Indeed, considering the fact one of their promotion rivals in Ipswich Town was able to do that last week, it may be the vital the Saints do the same here on Saturday to keep pace in that battle.
Wednesday night also saw Southampton produce an improved performance that gave Liverpool problems in the FA Cup. Indeed, that saw them win praise from Jurgen Klopp himself.
If they can do that again here, they should have enough to pick up a welcome three points.