Relegation threatened Hull City travel to Southampton in search of a first win in six games, while the Saints are aiming for fifth place in the Premier League table.
With rivals Tottenham and Liverpool not playing until Sunday and Monday respectively, Ronald Koeman’s Saints are looking to occupy fifth place should results go their way. Meanwhile Steve Bruce’s Hull are in real trouble, the Tigers sit in 17th, two points above the relegation zone, and with games to play against Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal, a result here is vital.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts |
| 5 | Southampton | 31 | 16 | 5 | 10 | 53 |
| 17 | Hull City | 31 | 6 | 10 | 15 | 28 |
Hull manager Bruce admitted his side need to pull off some ‘crazy results’ if they are to play Premier League football for a third season. If achieved it will be Hull’s longest running tenure in the top flight, with their current record being two seasons from 2008-2010.
After seeing some shocking results in the Premiership, such as Burnley’s recent win over reigning champions Manchester City, Bruce claimed his side needed a few such things: “We have just witnessed over the last week all sorts of crazy results can happen and we need to make sure we get one or two of those, that’s for sure.”
Bruce is adamant his side can do it too: “We’ve proved this year that we’re capable but we’re under no illusions how difficult it is going to be. “It is all to play for and it is another big weekend but we have been saying that for the best part of four months. “The way it’s gone this season I wouldn’t be surprised if it went right down to the wire.”
Southampton boss Ronald Koeman this week insisted their run of three defeats in six games is due to the opposition respecting his team too much: “Opponents don’t care how they play against Southampton, they’re happy to defend and they’re concerned about getting points. At this point of the season, points are more important to them.
“We’re not always scoring lots of goals and that’s the difference. We are not getting the space we had in the beginning,” the Dutchman added.
Team News
For Southampton Filip Djuricic is out with an ankle problem, while Steven Davis has recovered from a similar injury. Florian Gardos returns after an unspecified problem, but goalkeeper Fraser Forster won’t return this season after undergoing surgery on his knee. Good news for Saints fans however as long-term absentee Jay Rodriguez may return from his knee injury before the end of the season. Koeman is expected to retain Graziano Pelle in the side despite not scoring since December 20.
Steve Bruce’s biggest decision is whether to maintain the out-of-sorts Allan McGregor or to replace him with veteran Steve Harper. McGregor’s mistakes have proven costly in some vital matches, prompting Bruce to likely give Harper a run in the team.
Tom Huddlestone returns from suspension while David Meyler is out after his red card in last week’s loss to Swansea. Gaston Ramirez is unavailable against his parent club while Nikica Jelavic is still out injured. Defender Curtis Davies has a thigh problem which will be assessed before the game.
Quotes
Southampton boss Ronald Koeman on Hull’s defensive preferences: “Hull normally play with five defenders. That means there is not a lot of space, so you have to play very well or you need a player who makes an individual action and scores a goal. But those individual, high-quality players are not playing for Southampton.”
Hull manager Steve Bruce on out of form ‘keeper Allan McGregor: “When you’re a goalkeeper the one thing the Premier League does is highlight mistakes and unfortunately Allan will be the first to admit he has been disappointed over the last couple of weeks. I haven’t made a decision one way or the other, but Allan is a very, very good goalkeeper.”
Hull defender James Chester on relegation battle: “There’s certainly pressure, there’s no getting away from that. There are also other teams involved in our situation and as a squad we’re confident that we can get the points that we need to stay up.”
Southampton ‘keeper Kelvin Davis on Hull: “Hull City will absolutely not be a walkover. We know the challenge that we are going to face. We need to make sure that we use our strengths and that we don’t give them anything to take home with them.”
Last Meeting
A solitary Victor Wanyama goal sealed a 1-0 win for Southampton at the KC Stadium. A 40 yard shot surprisingly hit the back of the net and handed Koeman’s men the win.