Off the back of an impressive season which saw them qualify for European football, Southampton head into the 2015/16 season high on confidence.
Aiming to avoid a clear out of players similar to last season and to continue to bring in top players, Ronald Koeman's men have a bit of work to do. The future seems bright right now, but can they continue a surge up the table?
A trip to Newcastle to start off the season
The Saints kick off their very busy season in the North away to Newcastle United, a big test for any top half side. The Premier League welcomes a new rivalry this season and it's first derby of the season falls on the 31st of October, as Ronald Koeman's side welcome Championship winners AFC Bournemouth, who arguably played some of the best football in England last season. A feisty affair surely and a very exciting battle awaits between the two sides from the South of England.
Southampton face a very difficult fixture to start the Christmas period. On Boxing Day, it's title contenders Arsenal who make the journey down south. The festive period continues through the coming days and a lengthy trip to Norwich City awaits the Saints to kick off the new year.
March 1st marks the date for the reverse fixture with Bournemouth, an away game, and the season comes to an end on May 15th when Crystal Palace make the journey to St. Mary's Stadium in what may be a very important meeting regarding final position in the table.
After finishing 7th last season and European football beckoning, Southampton are facing a very tough season ahead of them. Ronald Koeman will be hoping he can continue to build his side and eventually break into a top 4 battle. It will be very difficult for the Saints but another successful season can put them on the brink of challenging the bigger sides in the Premier League.