Southampton vs Crystal Palace

St Mary’s Stadium is the venue as Southampton and Crystal Palace go head-to-head in a mid-table Premier League contest.

Southampton have thrown their hopes of a first top-half Premier League finish since 2016/17 into a corridor of doubt after going winless in seven of their last eight league outings (D2, L5). With 10th-placed Leicester City two points clear, the ‘Saints’ need to arrest their two-game winless Premier League streak (D1, L1) against a Palace side they drew with in the reverse fixture 2-2. However, Southampton have won 56% of their 25 Premier League meetings with Palace, their second-best win ratio against sides they’ve met 10+ times in England’s top-flight. Worryingly, though, a lack of defensive stability has seen Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side concede 19 goals in their last eight Premier League matches, letting in 2+ goals on six occasions in that spread of games.

In the meantime, Crystal Palace will take the field hopeful of snapping a four-match winless run in all competitions (D1, L3) and get their bid to achieve a first top-half Premier League finish since 2014/15 back on track. But Patrick Vieira’s men have failed to get on the scoresheet in their last two league outings (D1, L1), both of which featured under 1.5 total goals. Scoring will be of the essence for the ‘Eagles’ here, as they’ve lost just one of their nine Premier League away matches in which they found the net this season (W3, D5). Yet, they’ve established themselves as the ‘stalemate kings’ this term, drawing a league joint-high 14 fixtures thus far, their second-highest such tally in their Premier League history. Another draw may even be considered a success for Palace, as they’ve picked up just one win in their last 12 Premier League visits to St Mary’s (D3, L8).