Alan Shearer has made a bold Southampton prediction ahead of their Ipswich Town clash.
Southampton face a critical six-pointer as they welcome Ipswich Town to St Mary’s in the Premier League.
The Saints are yet to tally a single point in the 2024/25 Premier League campaign, although they will be looking to continue off the back of a positive victory in the EFL Cup against Everton, which was decided on penalties.
Russell Martin’s side put in a solid performance in the first half against Manchester United, however a missed penalty from Cameron Archer turned the game on its head, leading to the away side hitting Southampton for three goals.
Martin will have taken positives from both previous games, however Alan Shearer doesn’t believe it will count towards much as he predicts a difficult afternoon for the Saints.
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Alan Shearer predicts ‘struggle’ for Southampton vs Ipswich Town
It is a crucial fixture for Southampton, who really need to show urgency in kick-starting their season, however the Premier League all-time top scorer Shearer believes it will be easier said than done for Southampton.
Per The Metro, Shearer wrote: “This game is very much like Leicester v Everton, huge for both teams.
“Out of the promoted teams, I think Ipswich have probably given themselves the best chance of survival and I’ve not liked what I’ve seen from Southampton in front of goal.
“They’ve had a lot of possession, a lot of chances and missed the penalty against Man United. They were impressive for 30 minutes but missing the penalty was a game changer.
“When you have chances against any club at Premier League level, they’re few and far between, especially when you’re a newly promoted team, so you have to take them.
“It was a weird situation because Brereton-Diaz has taken and scored nine penalties, yet Cameron Archer has never scored a penalty, and he was given the task of taking it.
“Southampton will struggle this season because of a lack of goals.
“Away win.”
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Southampton vs Ipswich Town can define Russell Martin’s season
If Shearer’s prediction comes into fruition, it could be a sign of a very difficult season ahead for Southampton, who must come away with all three points against Ipswich Town if they are to show any chance of looking to stay off.
It would be unfair to write any side off this early into the season, however Southampton have shown very little up to this point of a side that will look to massively improve from their shocking start, and like Shearer says, there needs to be significant work done in front of goal.
There have been many signs pointing towards Southampton being unable to right the wrongs, leaving Shearer rightly with very little confidence of his former side coming away with a win at St Mary’s, but if they look to utilise Tyler Dibling, who has been one of the Saints’ few bright sparks this season, they could potentially get their first points on the board.