da mrbet： Southampton will be looking to bounce back from last weekend’s disappointing 1-0 defeat against Manchester United at St Mary’s when they face Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday.
da aviator aposta： Saints would have counted themselves unlucky not to take anything against Jose Mourinho’s in-form side having dominated large periods of the match, but it was their finishing that once again let them down.
The shutout meant that the south coast outfit have now failed to net in four of their six Premier League fixtures this season, and 10 of their last 14 stretching back to the end of last term.
Mark Hughes’ men have also had a mixed start to the campaign and despite beating Arsenal at home last month, they have been beaten by Newcastle United and Chelsea in their last two games – the latter a crushing 4-0 defeat on their own turf last weekend.
Southampton boss Mauricio Pellegrino may well be thinking about making some alterations to his line-up against the Potters, with his team still struggling to fire.
Here are three changes the Argentine should make to his starting XI against Stoke…
Virgil van Dijk for Maya Yoshida
Having returned to the Southampton fold as a late substitute in the win against Crystal Palace and then being an unused substitute against Manchester United, it seems as though Van Dijk is on the verge of getting the call to start.
His absence from the Under-23 side that faced West Bromwich Albion on Monday night has only gone further to suggest that he will be named in the starting XI against Stoke, where his height and strength could prove to be especially vital for set-pieces at both ends of the pitch.
The change would certainly be a little harsh on Yoshida, but it seems likely that Van Djik and his Netherlands international teammate Wesley Hoedt will be the preferred central defensive partnership – at least until the transfer rumours start again in January.
Sofiane Boufal for Nathan Redmond
Redmond continues to get picked on the left-hand side for Southampton, but he is failing to make an impact that he needs to and Pellegrino may well be considering taking him out of the firing line and putting him on the substitutes’ bench for the trip to the Britannia Stadium.
Boufal has failed to fulfil the promise he had when he joined the south coast outfit in a then club-record move last summer, but he also hasn’t had a consistent run in the side to do that.
The Moroccan deserves his chance to help a struggling Saints from an attacking point of view and he could problems to a Stoke defence that could be low on confidence following the 4-0 defeat to Chelsea with his trickery.
Manolo Gabbiadini for Dusan Tadic
Following tireless and unselfish performances up front on his own against Crystal Palace and Manchester United, it would be harsh to drop Shane Long against Mark Hughes’ men.
Like Redmond, it just hasn’t happened for Tadic this season in the final third and Pellegrino may be seriously considering starting both Long and Gabbiadini in his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation at the Britannia Stadium.
Both players are capable of playing wide – as the Italian often did during his time with Napoli – or as the lone striker, and Pellegrino may feel that the Republic of Ireland international’s pace could be particularly effective if his side are going to be playing on the counter-attack.
Do you agree, Saints fans? Let us know below.