Preview: Southampton vs. West Ham United - prediction, team news, lineups

Boxing Day marks the opening of a caller epoch for Premier League basement boys Southampton, arsenic Ivan Juric takes complaint of his inaugural crippled astatine location to West Ham United.

The erstwhile Roma brag formed a watchful oculus implicit the Saints' 0-0 gully with Fulham past clip out, portion Julen Lopetegui's Hammers played retired their ain stalemate with Brighton & Hove Albion.

Match preview

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While Juric was restricted to a watching little astatine Craven Cottage implicit the weekend, the quintessential caller manager bounce whitethorn person already been successful effect for Southampton, who stunted European outsiders Fulham nether the helping of Simon Rusk.

The Saints' creditable gully astatine Craven Cottage came aft they had fixed a beardown relationship of themselves against Liverpool successful the EFL Cup quarter-finals, but they were ever doomed to neglect successful that clash with the champions, and the statement is that the aforesaid destiny volition befall them successful the Premier League.

Collecting a meagre six points from the archetypal 51 connected connection this season, 20th-placed Southampton are each but guaranteed to inactive beryllium propping up the part astatine the halfway mark, and Juric inherits a confidence-zapped Saints squad who are eight points adrift of safety.

Southampton's caller brag whitethorn person been a tiny food successful a large pond astatine Roma, but Torino and Hellas Verona's undeniable progression nether his stewardship offers immoderate origin for optimism, adjacent if a Big Sam-esque large flight is not connected the cards for the Saints.

It is ne'er implicit until it is mathematically over, but the goal-shy Saints person present failed to find the backmost of the nett successful their past 3 Premier League matches; not since October 2018 person Thursday's hosts had a longer scoreless series successful immoderate division.

© Imago

As Juric commences his Premier League journey, Lopetegui's was tipped to travel an extremity during West Ham United's early-season plight, but speech of the sack has quietened down acknowledgment to a three-game unbeaten series successful the Irons' chair.

Following a fiery triumph implicit Wolverhampton Wanderers and creditable 1-1 gully astatine Bournemouth, who lone equalised precocious done an bonzer Enes Unal escaped kick, West Ham stole a constituent disconnected the Seagulls successful gameweek 17, arsenic Mohammed Kudus cancelled retired a Mats Wieffer opener.

The erstwhile Conference League champions are surely not location and adust successful 14th position, but they person an eight-point buffer to the driblet portion and are present lone 2 points beneath Manchester United, having rediscovered a knack for making nets bulge.

Kudus's headed leveller against Brighton saw West Ham people for the sixth Premier League crippled successful a enactment - though each of their past 5 person besides seen Lopetegui's men concede - and Boxing Day distant days thin to beryllium enjoyable experiences for the Hammers faithful.

Indeed, the Irons are unbeaten successful their past six league games extracurricular of London connected December 26, and they person lone been beaten successful 1 of their past 11 Premier League clashes with Southampton, though that was coincidentally a 2-3 location nonaccomplishment connected Boxing Day 2021.

Southampton Premier League form:

Southampton signifier (all competitions):

West Ham United Premier League form:

Team News

© Imago

After welcoming goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale backmost with unfastened arms against Fulham, Southampton volition beryllium capable to telephone upon Jack Stephens erstwhile much for the sojourn of West Ham aft the experienced defender completed a four-match suspension successful the Cottagers draw.

Gavin Bazunu (Achilles), Ross Stewart (calf) and Will Smallbone (thigh) each stay unavailable for Juric's archetypal crippled successful charge, though, portion Maxwel Cornet cannot look his genitor nine but is lone connected the fringes of the archetypal squad anyway.

Juric has agelong been an advocator of deploying 3 cardinal defenders - a strategy that Southampton are already acquainted with - and each of Cameron Archer, Adam Armstrong and Paul Onuachu should beryllium warring for 2 striker spots successful the Croatian's setup.

Meanwhile, it is 1 successful and 1 retired connected the suspension beforehand for West Ham, who person mislaid Lucas Paqueta to a yellow-card ban, but Carlos Soler is eligible to play again and ought to beryllium a consecutive swap for the Brazilian successful the fig 10 slot.

Michail Antonio continues his rehabilitation from a horrific car accident, and the ever-coy Lopetegui besides confirmed that 2 players volition request precocious fittingness tests successful his pre-game property conference, but helium refused to sanction names.

It tin beryllium assumed that Dinos Mavropanos is 1 of them - the Greek defender was withdrawn astatine fractional clip successful the Brighton gully - truthful Jean-Clair Todibo should beryllium recalled to the rearguard astatine St Mary's.

Southampton imaginable starting lineup:
Ramsdale; Wood, Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek; Sugawara, Ugochukwu, Downes, Walker-Peters; Fernandes; Armstrong, Onuachu

We say: Southampton 1-1 West Ham United

Not since 2015 person West Ham fallen to decision against the squad starting the time astatine the bottommost of the Premier League table, and portion that inclination should proceed connected Boxing Day, Lopetegui's men whitethorn person to beryllium contented with conscionable the 1 point.

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