Southampton will host Plymouth Argyle in the Championship on Friday. Plymouth is presently in 16th place in the Championship table following their four-game winning streak. The Saints are in third place.
Preview (Southampton vs. Plymouth Argyle)
The greatest accolade Southampton can receive for their 16-game Championship unbeaten streak since September is that they have amassed points in a variety of ways. But in their past two home games against Swansea City and Blackburn Rovers, Russell Martin’s team has scored nine goals, demonstrating their better talent compared to most of the teams at this level. Swansea was unable to remain competitive for the opening three-quarters of the match due to three goals in the last 16 minutes against the latter, but Southampton has now maintained four consecutive clean sheets at St Mary’s.
Ipswich lost their last three games. Southampton managed to hold leaders Leicester City to a draw on Boxing Day. It moves them within five points of the automatic promotion spots but still 11 points behind Leicester. Even yet, Martin will argue that the emphasis is on each game at a time when the Foxes are playing at a level that they have consistently played at this season. While Plymouth continues to operate under caretaker management, uncertainty surrounds them, even as they move farther clear of the relegation zone. The Pilgrims have gained six points from a run of four straight wins. The most recent of which were comeback draws against Cardiff City and Birmingham City.
This has allowed Neil Dewsnip and his group to keep putting points on the board. They are getting closer to their goal of 50, which would ensure their safety. Despite this, they are still only eight points out of the postseason. Plymouth’s trip to Southampton on the South Coast theoretically comes at the wrong moment. They haven’t won a single Championship match away from home this season.
Team News
Despite Southampton’s recent rout of Swansea, Martin probably likely make several changes to his team to keep them fresh. Will Smallbone and Ryan Fraser are in the running to replace Kyle Walker-Peters and Joe Aribo. Both have played 90 minutes in the previous two games. James Bree’s injury kept him out of action over the Christmas and New Year break. Unless the defense is changed, the rest of the team might not change.
The interim administration of Plymouth has to decide on whether to continue using the same back three that traveled to Cardiff for the away game. Despite this, a rotation of the starting lineup is anticipated, with Finn Azaz, Luke Cundle, Brendan Galloway, and Bali Mumba among those who may make a comeback.
Southampton 4-1 Plymouth Argyle
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