Straight off the back of an impressive 3-2 victory in midweek, which sees Southampton move into the quarter-final stage of the Capital One Cup for the first time in 10 years, it would be silly not to look back at their form of late.

Hull will not be looking at it with any encouragement in truth, as Southampton have only lost 2 of their last 12 matches in all competitions, against Tottenham and Liverpool (both in the Premier League). It will be two weeks tomorrow, since Southampton smashed Sunderland 8-0 at St.Mary's. Yes, you read that correctly. 8-0. Their attacking intelligence, clinical nature and ability to create chances out of nothing with a number of different players in the squad will give the Dutch manager a lot of confidence, going into a game where they will be expected to do just that.

Having said that, Steve Bruce's side themselves have been able to grind out decent results against teams that would easily expect to cruise to victory against the likes of Hull. Draws against Arsenal and Liverpool (both away from home) in recent weeks are a good indication that they are able to adapt to different conditions whilst shutting out the opposition effectively to get good results out of games.


Injury news, suspensions and the like:

HULL - Dawson (ankle), Harper (torn bicep), Jelavic (knee), McGregor (shoulder), Ramirez (ineligible based on loan agreement with Southampton), Snodgrass (knee).

SOUTHAMPTON - Gallagher and Rodriguez (both knee), Ward-Prowse and Yoshida (both ankle). Sadio Mané will have a late fitness test as he was rested during their midweek victory over Stoke, with a 75% chance of featuring at any time during the match.

English winger Tom Ince has joined Championship side Nottingham Forest on a loan deal, so he will not be available.

PROBABLE STARTING LINE-UPS:

HULL: Jakupovic, Chester, Bruce, Davies, Elmohamady, Huddlestone, Diamé, Livermore, Brady, Ben Arfa and Hernández.

SOUTHAMPTON: Forster, Clyne, Fonte, Alderweireld, Bertrand, Schneiderlin, Cork, Davis, Tadic, Mané and Pellé.


MATCH NOTES, STATS, PREDICTIONS AND PLAYERS TO WATCH OUT FOR:

Hull's former striker Shane Long may have a chance to punish his former club, as he is poised to feature for Southampton after opening his goal-scoring account for the club during their 3-2 win on Wednesday night.

The hosts have only lost once at home this season, and have a tough task of trying to halt Southampton's impressive start to the campaign.

It will not be easy, especially because Southampton have only conceded 5 goals this season, which is the fewest in all of the top four divisions in English football.

The Tigers have dropped more points from leading positions this season than any other team in the league, with the exception of Swansea City who are level on 8 points. If they want to challenge for a top-half finish, with the possiblity of European competitions on the horizon, they need to start turning draws into wins.

ONE TO WATCH: Graziano PELLÉ (Southampton) -

The Italian striker is on-fire in the Premier League, with 9 goals in 12 appearances since his summer move from Feyenoord for £8million pounds. A shrewd move for his clinical finishing ability, plus his attacking intelligence in and around the box as he makes it look easy to glide past defenders and score for fun.

Attacking midfielder Dusan Tadic already has 6 assists to his name following his move from FC Twente, midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin stayed at the club (and is blossoming) despite being heavily linked with a move to both north London clubs in the summer, but Pellé could be the signing of the summer for sure.

Scored twice in mid-week, and will lead the line again tomorrow. Hull will be sure to have a few players marking him at all times, otherwise he will punish them.

ONE TO WATCH: Mohamed DIAME (Hull) -

The powerhouse midfielder has settled in quickly and to good effect already with his new side, and is looking as impressive as ever in his holding midfield role. A real shock that West Ham sold him on deadline day, and he is playing with pride and confidence in his ability. Using his physical strength to shrug off challenges, going on lung-busting runs, springing passes with ease and helping out his defence when need by, Diame is easily one of Hull's best players yet he does not get enough credit for his work.

Hull will be eager to win, especially at home. Southampton will be a real test for them, I do not expect the hosts to take all 3 points. A draw could be sufficient, but The Saints could go on to victory if Koeman and his side start like they have done this season. Impressively. It has all of the makings of a great game nonetheless.

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About the author
Mosope Ominiyi
Writer and editor - European football analyst, youth enthusiast. Email: [email protected]