Overview
Last weekend, Southampton had a dull goalless draw against Fulham, thereby extending their winless streak to eight matches. The Saints are currently facing problems in many positions, with their attacking ability (11 goals) and defense (36 goals conceded) both among the worst in the Premier League.
Even in the last 3 matches in the Premier League, the home team St Mary's could not score against the opponent.
Meanwhile, West Ham's form is not much better, with 2 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses in the last 6 matches and they are still stuck in 14th place after 17 rounds. Facing the bottom team Southampton will be a good opportunity for coach Julen Lopetegui's team to improve their performance.
However, West Ham’s away form in the Premier League this season has been extremely poor. In their last 8 away matches, The Hammers have lost 4, drawn 3 and won only 1 match. In addition, they have scored only 7 goals during this time and conceded 18.
West Ham don't have a true leader up front to shoulder the responsibility of scoring goals. In total, they have had 10 players score at least once this season, but none of them has broken the four-goal mark.
Things are even worse when looking at Southampton's attack. Of the 11 goals they have scored so far, no player has had more than two.
Southampton and West Ham have often produced tight games in the past, but the Hammers have the edge. They have won five of their last 10 meetings, while the Saints have only managed two.
Human resources situation
Southampton will welcome back Jack Stephens from suspension, but Gavin Bazunu, Ross Stewart and Will Smallbone remain sidelined through injury.
On the other side of the front line, Michail Antonio still cannot return after the car accident.
Expected lineup:
Southampton: Ramsdale, Hardwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Wood, Walker-Peters, Downes, Ugochukwu, Sugawara, Dibling, Fernandes, Archer.
West Ham: Fabianski, Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Kilman, Emerson, Soucek, Alvarez, Bowen, Paqueta, Kudus, Fullkrug.
The match between Southampton and West Ham takes place at 22:00 on December 26 (Vietnam time).
