Southampton vs Leicester City

Even though six points separate rock-bottom Southampton and 14th-placed Leicester City, this weekend’s Premier League clash at St Mary’s Stadium has all the makings of a ‘relegation six-pointer.’

Despite upsetting the odds with a shock 1-0 win at Chelsea on his touchline debut, new Southampton manager Ruben Selles has since lost back-to-back competitive games in charge of the ‘Saints,’ including a 2-1 home defeat to fourth-tier Grimsby in midweek FA Cup action. What better way to recover fans’ trust than ending Southampton’s embarrassing run of eight Premier League home games without winning (D2, L6)? But Selles might settle for helping his side claim a point after five successive home league losses. It won’t be a straightforward task by any stretch of the imagination, with the ‘Saints’ going winless in their last five top-flight home matches against Leicester (D2, L3).

As for Leicester City, back-to-back Premier League losses to Arsenal and Manchester United without scoring have drawn them back into the relegation battle, with 18th-placed Everton only three points adrift at the start of this round. If that wasn’t enough to dampen the spirits in Brendan Rodgers’ camp, an underwhelming 2-1 home defeat to second-tier Blackburn Rovers in midweek FA Cup action might have done enough. But there’s still a silver lining for the visitors, as they’ve won eight of their last ten league matches against sides starting the round in the relegation zone (D1, L1), with the only defeat coming at Norwich City in February 2020. That should settle the nerves as the ‘Foxes’ bid to avoid losing both seasonal meetings with Southampton in the top-flight for the first time since 1986/87.