Southampton’s return to the Premier League after a brief period in the Championship has been disastrous. Currently at the bottom of the table, the Saints have managed to gather only 6 points from 19 matches.
Their recent performance has been disappointing, with heavy defeats to Chelsea (1-5), Aston Villa (1-0), and Tottenham (0-5). They did secure a 0-0 draw against Fulham after Ivan Juric took over, but subsequently lost to West Ham (0-1) on Boxing Day and Crystal Palace (2-1) last weekend.
In contrast, Brentford is in 12th place in the league. After a 2-1 loss to Chelsea and a 3-1 defeat to Newcastle in the League Cup, they experienced their first home loss of the season against Nottingham Forest (0-2). However, they showed resilience by securing a 0-0 draw at Brighton.
Southampton is struggling with injuries. Goalkeeper Bazunu, midfielder Smallbone, and striker Stewart are all out, while former Lyon player Maxwell Cornet is not in the manager’s plans. Defender Jack Stephens is doubtful for this match after missing the previous game.
Offensively, Southampton has been poor, scoring just 11 goals in the Premier League this season, the worst record in the league. No player has scored more than two goals, but 18-year-old Tyler Dibling, who has netted 2 goals, shows potential despite his youth.
Prediction
Southampton has not been thrilling to watch recently, with 16 of their last 19 Premier League matches having three goals or fewer. Similarly, six of Brentford’s last eight games have followed this pattern, so it’s unlikely this match will see more than 3.5 goals.
Prediction: Southampton 0 – 2 Brentford.
