Overview
With just six points from the first half, Southampton are in danger of returning to the Championship next season. The sacking of Russell Martin and the appointment of Ivan Juric have not yet paid off, with Southampton losing both of their first two games under the Croatian.
Southampton’s poor form is evident in their statistics. They have conceded the second most goals and have the worst attack in the league, scoring just 12 goals. No Southampton player has scored more than two goals in the Premier League this season.
The arrival of Tyler Dibling this season has been a rare positive for the hosts. The youngster scored in the defeat to Crystal Palace and is Southampton's biggest hope.
Meanwhile, despite going through three consecutive matches without a win, Brentford are still superior to the home team. Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa are fully capable of helping the "Beets" think about a victory at St. Mary's. The duo scored all three goals for Brentford in the 3-1 win over Southampton in the first leg.
However, Brentford have lost four of their last five away games in the Premier League. Thomas Frank's side are without an away win all season.
In terms of head-to-head record, Brentford have been superior to their opponents recently. In addition to winning the first leg, they also defeated their opponents 2-0 at St Mary's in March last year.
Human resources situation
Southampton midfielder Matheus Fernandes is suspended, while Gavin Bazunu, Ross Stewart, Will Smallbone, Jack Stephens and Juan Larios will miss out through injury.
On the other side of the front line, Brentford still have a lengthy injury list, with Kris Ajer, Ben Mee, Rico Henry, Aaron Hickey, Josh Dasilva, Gustavo Nunes, Ethan Pinnock and Igor Thiago sidelined.
Expected lineup:
Southampton: Ramsdale, Walker-Peters, Wood, Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Lallana, Bree, Aribo, Dibling, Armstrong, Onuachu.
Brentford: Flekken, Van Den Berg, Collins, Roerslev, Lewis-Potter, Damsgaard, Norgaard, Yanelt, Schade, Wissa, Mbuemo.
The match between Southampton and Brentford takes place at 22:00 on January 4 (Vietnam time).
