Southampton face the second game of a three-match week as they travel to Coventry City on Wednesday night, with Russell Martin likely to have to rely on the depth of his squad.
The trip to the CBS Arena to face an in-form Coventry side represents the Saints’ second away game in four days, having made the relatively short trip to Watford at the weekend.
Southampton drew that game 1-1, with a 96th-minute equaliser leaving players and fans feeling frustrated despite the result seeing Martin’s side extend their unbeaten run to 12 consecutive games.
With the rigorous demands of the Championship and the seemingly constant stream of games, particularly at this time of the year, there will be tired legs in the Southampton camp. With that in mind, it would come as no surprise to see Martin rotate his side for the midweek clash.
Will Flynn Downes make squad for Coventry?
The big question on the lips of Southampton fans is whether key man Flynn Downes will return to the side following the illness that saw him have to drop out of the squad for the Watford draw.
In Martin’s pre-Coventry press-conference, the ex-Swansea City boss confirmed the Saints will be “the same squad plus Flynn”, adding that the on-loan midfielder “trained today, felt good, felt relaxed.”
Joe Aribo was handed a rare start against Watford on Saturday after impressing in a half hour cameo off the bench against Cardiff City in the previous game. Martin hinted that Aribo was the player who benefitted from Downes’ absence, saying: “The team (on Saturday) was very similar to the one I had in mind, maybe one or two changes. Joe came in and did brilliantly, he was ready for it.”
With Aribo coming into the side, Shea Charles dropped back into Downes’ holding midfield role from the box-to-box role he has been playing in recent weeks. Martin praised Charles but admitted that Southampton did miss Downes, explaining that: “Flynn is a leader and has hundreds of games at this level, him missing is going to impact the team somehow but I thought Shea (Charles) was brilliant”.
What team will Russell Martin select against Coventry?
Whilst Southampton would have been disappointed with the performance against Watford, Martin insists that it will not impact the planning for Coventry too much. Martin told the press: “There is lots to think about but have we veered too far from the plan due to Saturday’s result? No, but the energy wasn’t quite where it was.”
With this in mind, it would come as no surprise to see Martin rotate his side as he has done for the middle match in a three game week at other points this season. Aribo came in and took his opportunity against Watford but, with Downes returning and Will Smallbone making a late appearance on Saturday following injury, the midfield is likely to be Downes at the base with Smallbone and Stuart Armstrong either side of him.
Carlos Alcaraz was disappointing against Watford and was subbed off at half-time, with Ryan Fraser making an impact as his replacement off the bench. Therefore, expect to see Martin revert to a more conventional 4-3-3 shape with Fraser on the left of the front three, Adam Armstrong on the right, and Che Adams through the middle.
In defence, Martin may be tempted to give returning captain Jack Stephens his first minutes since August, but with Coventry on a good run of form it may be sensible not to disrupt the back four.
With everything taken into consideration, here is how we think Southampton could line-up against Coventry on Wednesday night:
(4-3-3): Bazunu; Walker-Peters, Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Manning; Downes, Smallbone, S. Armstrong; A. Armstrong, Adams, Fraser