Goodison Park is the venue that will play host to Southampton's latest challenge in their attempts to secure European football, as they visit an Everton side floundering in the bottom half of the table. The game will kick off at 3pm GMT, as both teams look to make it a happy Easter weekend for their fans.

Everton's European campaign can be used as an excuse for their poor league form, as they reached the Europa League last 16, however even manager Roberto Martinez will accept that their season has just not been good enough. They lie 13th in the league but can move as high as 11th win a win on Saturday. Alternatively, not picking up maximum points could result in West Brom moving the Toffees down to 14th place. Romelu Lukaku is sure to provide the main threat, the Belgian striker has eight Premier League goals this season.

In contrast, Southampton have been enjoying a wonderful season since Ronald Koeman took over from Mauricio Pochettino in June. The Dutchman has brought an exciting brand of football to the South Coast which, coupled with some shrewd transfer dealings, has seen them rocket up the league to 6th place. Saints will be looking to keep their hopes of a European birth next season with a win, as they can leapfrog Liverpool into 5th place by securing three points.

Team news:

For Everton, Romelu Lukaku will face a late fitness test on a hamstring injury picked up on international duty, whilst full back's Bryan Oviedo and Tony Hibbert remain out. Darron Gibson is unlikely to play due to a stomach problem, but Kevin Mirallas (leg) and Steven Pienaar (knee) should make the squad.

The visitors remain without Jay Rodriguez, however he is nearing a return from his long term ACL injury. Goalkeeper Fraser Forster is out for the season after a knee injury picked up two weeks ago, and Emmanuel Mayuka is still sidelined with a groin strain. There is good news for the Saints, as Steven Davis and Matt Targett could both overcome knocks to feature.

Manager's comments:

Roberto Martinez: "We are still in a position where we need to fight for those 40 points and nothing will change until we achieve that. We know the amount of points is not what we wanted but the truth is you have to face it. We had a good reaction in the league with back-to-back wins and now we have 24 points to fight for which will be very significant."

Ronald Koeman: "It’s a tough game. They have more confidence now after two good wins. I like the way they play football. It’s always to try to score goals. It will be a nice one. We have that confidence they do. We have that way of playing as well, that means it will be an attractive game this Saturday.”