Brighton & Hove Albion welcome Southampton to the Amex on Saturday afternoon for their first meeting in the top flight of English football since 1983, with the game being shown live on Sky Sports, kick-off 1.30pm.
After last week’s morale-boosting 3-0 victory over West Ham United at the London Stadium, Chris Hughton’s team return to the south coast and welcome one of their nearest neighbours.
With both sides positioned around the middle of the Premier League table - Southampton 10th and Albion 12th - the match is nicely poised for an entertaining game against Mauricio Pellegrino’s team.
The Seagulls won the only meeting between the teams at the Amex in 2012, when a brace from Matt Sparrow and Jake Forster-Caskey’s first Albion goal led them to a 3-0 victory over the Saints.
TEAM NEWS: Other than Steve Sidwell's back injury, Hughton has a fully-fit squad to choose from for this Sunday's game, with Beram Kayal and Sam Baldock both pushing for returns to the side.
For Southampton, full-back Jeremy Pied continues to work his way back to full fitness from a groin injury, while Mario Lemina is ruled out with an ankle injury.
FORM:
ALBION: The Seagulls head into Sunday’s clash after picking up their first away victory in the Premier League, as Glenn Murray also claimed his first goals of the season.
Jose Izquierdo’s first Albion goal added to Murray’s brace, as Hughton’s team showed their defensive strength to hold on for a third clean sheet of the campaign.
It was almost back-to-back victories, but Wayne Rooney’s 90th-minute penalty at the Amex denied Albion victory, after Anthony Knockaert had opened the scoring.
A 2-0 defeat against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium came beforehand, which followed a hard-fought 1-0 triumph against Newcastle United, thanks to Tomer Hemed’s second-half strike.
SOUTHAMPTON: The Saints arrive at the Amex on the back of two unbeaten games, as they overcame West Bromwich Albion and drew with Newcastle United at St Mary’s.
Sofiane Boufal’s 85th-minute solo effort, which saw the midfielder drive towards goal from his own half, was enough to snatch all three points last time out.
Consecutive defeats to Stoke City and Manchester United came at the end of September, after Pellegrino’s team claimed their first away win of the season - a 1-0 victory at Crystal Palace.
Watford claimed a 2-0 victory at St Mary’s at the start of September, which came after a goalless draw against another newly-promoted side, Huddersfield Town.
LAST TIME OUT: ALBION
WEST HAM UNITED 0
ALBION 3
Murray 10, 75
Izquierdo 45+2
Albion line-up: Ryan; Bruno, Duffy, Dunk, Bong; Knockaert (Schelotto 84), Stephens, Propper, Izquierdo (March 70); Gross (Brown 76); Murray.
Subs not used: Krul (GK), Goldson, Suttner, Molumby.
LAST TIME OUT: SOUTHAMPTON
SOUTHAMPTON 1
Boufal 85
WEST BROMWICH ALBION 0
Southampton line-up: Forster; Cedric, Van Dijk, Yoshida, Bertrand; Lemina, Davis, Romeu (Redmond 69), Tadic (Boufal 81); Gabbiadini, Long (Austin 81).
Subs not used: McCarthy (GK), McQueen, Hoedt, Ward-Prowse.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Dusan Tadic
The creative midfielder made an impressive start to his Saints career after signing from FC Twente in 2014, as he claimed 21 Premier League assists in his first two seasons at the club.
Tadic also found the back of the net on 14 occasions in that time, as he continued to show his attacking capability in the forward areas for the south coast club.
The Serbia international has been a regular in Southampton’s team under Ronald Koeman, Claude Puel and current manager Pellegrino, and hit his first goal of the campaign against West Ham.
The 28-year-old has scored 12 goals in 45 appearances for Serbia and helped his nation qualify for next summer’s World Cup in Russia, scoring four goals and claiming seven assists in ten games.
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