Southampton vs Bournemouth Preview: Mid-table bragging rights up for grabs at St. Mary's

Two South coast outfits face off tomorrow evening, with Bournemouth travelling to St. Mary's Stadium to play Southampton in the return of Premier League football.

In December the Saints came from behind to comfortably claim all three points against the Cherries, but this fixture is sure to a closer battle.

Alternative results last time out for either side mean that they'll go into the game on level points, albeit with this weekend's hosts having two games in hand over their rivals.

Opposing perspectives

Sitting in 10th and 11th respectively, it's quite a contrast to the days of League One for these clubs - Southampton won both ties (3-1, 2-0) in the 2010-11 season.

Back then there was a clear divide in quality; the Saints could boast a side containing the likes of Adam Lallana, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Morgan Schneiderlin even at that level.

Turning to this year though, and the gap is far less notable - but Bournemouth still have a long way to go to fully close it.

One sign of the change in times is Eddie Howe's award won as manager of the month for March, picking up a 1-1 draw against Manchester United and two wins over West Ham United and Swansea City.

March aside, overall it has been a very solid season for the Cherries; Premier League stability has always been the goal but their challenge for top-half residency is noteworthy.

Perhaps the cherry on top would be a win against a team their fans have rivalled for years with, speaking ahead of the game Howe explained that they "want to create history."

But for many a Saints fan, this year has been quite deflating regardless of their run to the final of the EFL Cup; the difference in perspectives from both sets of fan-bases is clear to see.

It's almost as if there isn't anything to play for for the Saints, apart from security in mid-table, especially after Manolo Gabbiadini - the January signing who sparked the team into life with his movement and goalscoring - sustained an injury early on in their bitter 2-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur before the international break.

From time to time the home support at St. Mary's can be nervy and unrestful and it will be interesting to see if it plays a part this weekend - given that the away section will be bouncing.

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A groin injury sidelines Gabbiadini while crucial centre-back Virgil van Dijk is going to miss the rest of the season, Jeremy Pied continues his return from an ACL injury.

This means that Claude Puel will most likely have to decide between Jay Rodriguez and Shane Long to start up top. Charlie Austin still hasn't made a full recovery from injury.

Despite the fact Rodriguez's surprise start at the Vitality Stadium resulted in two quality goals, his form dipped pretty dramatically afterwards.

As for Bournemouth, they are still without key man Tyrone Mings, who is currently serving a five-match ban for an alleged stamp on Manchester United's Zlatan Ibrahimović last month.

Harry Arter and Junior Stanislas are doubts for Howe's charges, while a knee injury to Ryan Fraser will be assessed before the fixture.