Southampton will host Crystal Palace at St. Mary’s on Wednesday, eager to get back to winning ways and keep their fading survival hopes alive.

It has been a disappointing season for Southampton, and they are currently at the bottom of the table ahead of the game vs Crystal Palace at St. Mary’s on Wednesday evening. The Saints are one of the favourites to go down this season, and it seems unlikely that they will be able to secure survival in the Premier League.

Ivan Juric’s men will be hoping to play for their pride now, and it remains to be seen whether they can grind out a morale-boosting victory here. Southampton have lost their last six matches in all competitions, and they will need to raise their performance levels significantly to get something out of this game.

Meanwhile, Crystal Palace are in impressive form right now, and they are coming into this game on the back of an impressive FA Cup quarter-final win over Fulham. The Eagles have won the last five matches in all competitions, and they will be confident of getting a good result here. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.

Team News & Tactics

Southampton

Ivan Juric will be without James Bree due to a thigh injury and Will Smallbone due to a groin injury. Southampton will shape up in a 3-5-2 formation vs Crystal Palace, with Aaron Ramsdale in goal.

In the back three, Taylor Harwood-Bellis will start alongside Jan Bednarek and Nathan Wood. Yukinari Sugawara and Kyle Walker-Peters will start as the wing-backs. They will look to keep things tight at the back and hit Crystal Palace on the break.

As for the midfield unit, Joe Aribo will start alongside Flynn Downes and Lesley Ugochukwu in the middle of the park. They will look to add physicality and defensive cover to the side. Cameron Archer will start alongside Tyler Dibling in the final third, with the duo forming the strike partnership.

Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Ramsdale; Harwood-Bellis, Wood, Bednarek; Sugawara, Aribo, Downes, Ugochukwu, Walker-Peters; Dibling, Archer

Crystal Palace

Oliver Glasner will be without Chadi Riad and Checik Doucoure due to their respective long-term knee injuries. Meanwhile, Joel Ward has a calf strain. Crystal Palace will shape up in a 3-4-1-2 formation vs Southampton, with Dean Henderson in goal.

Chris Richards will start alongside Maxence Lacroix and Marc Guehi in the back three. Daniel Munoz and Tyrick Mitchell will start as the wing-backs. They will look to help out at both ends of the pitch.

As for the midfield unit, Will Hughes and Adam Wharton will add creativity and defensive cover to the side. Eberechi Eze and Ismaila Sarr will reprise the attacking midfield roles, and they will look to link up with Jean-Philippe Mateta in the final third.

Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Henderson; Richards, Guehi, Lacroix; Munoz, Hughes, Wharton, Mitchell; Sarr, Eze; Mateta

Key Stats

• Southampton have conceded at least two goals in ten of their last 11 matches in the Premier League.
• Southampton have been losing in six of their last eight matches in the Premier League.
• Crystal Palace have won four of the last six matches vs Southampton.
• 16 goals have been scored in the last six matches between these two teams.
• Crystal Palace have won the last five matches in all competitions.

Player to Watch

Eberechi Eze

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The Crystal Palace attacking midfielder put on an excellent display in the FA Cup quarter-finals, and he will look to build on that performance. The English international is our key player to watch out for, and he will look to create opportunities for his teammates in the final third. He will look to add to his goal tally for the season as well. Southampton are one of the worst teams in the division, and Eze could punish them with his passing, vision and flair.

Prediction

Southampton 1-2 Crystal Palace

Southampton will look to get their stuttering campaign back on track with a positive result here, but they are completely lacking in form and confidence. This will be a difficult outing for them, and they are likely to crash to yet another defeat.

Crystal Palace are coming into this game on the back of a positive performance against Fulham, and they have won their last five matches in all competitions. They should be able to grind out all three points here. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Oliver Glasner and his charges.