Preview: Southampton vs. Leicester City - prediction, team news, lineups

Seeking to put their miserable 4-0 defeat to Liverpool behind them, Southampton prepare to welcome Leicester City to St Mary's on Wednesday evening.

While the Saints were being torn apart by Jurgen Klopp's men, the Foxes prevailed in a 4-2 goal-fest with Claudio Ranieri's Watford.

Match preview

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It took all of two minutes for Southampton's resistance at Anfield to be broken, as Diogo Jota was in the right place at the right time to fire home the opener before repeating the trick for the Reds just after the half-hour mark.

Thiago Alcantara and Virgil van Dijk added further goals for Liverpool to condemn Southampton to a second successive Premier League defeat following their previous loss at Norwich City, with their form taking quite the downward spiral over the past two weeks.

Ralph Hasenhuttl had witnessed his side string together a four-game unbeaten run before the international break, but two humbling defeats on the road sees the Saints sit 15th in the table after 13 games - five points clear of the relegation zone.

However, Southampton have not played in front of their home crowd since Premier League action resumed this month, and they have taken a respectable seven points from the last nine on offer at St Mary's, keeping clean sheets in wins over Burnley and Aston Villa.

The Saints have also lost just twice in their last 11 Premier League home games and have shipped just four top-flight goals at St Mary's this term - only Manchester City have let in fewer at home - but Leicester are not in any mood to halt their goalscoring momentum.

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Ranieri's former star man Jamie Vardy ensured that the 2015-16 title winner's return to the King Power Stadium would be a miserable one, as the 34-year-old and James Maddison stole the show in a 4-2 thrashing of Watford during the freezing cold weekend.

Ademola Lookman also got in on the act as Emmanuel Dennis and Joshua King added consolations for the Hornets, and Brendan Rodgers will be hoping that is a sign of better things to come after seeing his side snap a three-game top-flight winless streak.

The inconsistent Foxes are still some way off challenging for another European berth, though, as they occupy 10th spot in the rankings as one of three sides with 18 points to their name, but only two points separate them from sixth-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers.

On a more sour note, the Foxes are now without a clean sheet in the Premier League since the opening day of the season - with all six of their away games so far seeing both teams score - but St Mary's will be remembered for all the right reasons for the visitors this week.

Southampton fans will be sick of hearing about the 9-0 thumping handed to them by Leicester back in October 2019, but last season's clash was a much more low-key 1-1 draw in April after the Foxes came up trumps 2-0 at the King Power.

Team News

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Southampton were expected to welcome Moussa Djenepo back from personal problems for the Liverpool test but he was nowhere to be seen, while Mohamed Elyounoussi missed out for the birth of his child.

The two attackers and Jack Stephens could return here, but Stuart Armstrong is out of contention, and it remains to be seen what condition Ibrahima Diallo will be in after twisting his ankle before the Anfield defeat.

Hasenhuttl's switch to a back five did not pay dividends on Merseyside, and the likes of Kyle Walker-Peters, Nathan Redmond and Theo Walcott could all return here.

As for Leicester, Youri Tielemans is making great strides in his recovery from a calf injury but may not be ready for midweek, while James Justin is in the same boat.

Ricardo Pereira and Wesley Fofana will remain in the treatment room for a little while longer, though, and uncertainty lingers over the availability of Ryan Bertrand.

Rodgers may consider Patson Daka or Kelechi Iheanacho for starts if Vardy's 34-year-old legs need to be rested, but the veteran striker will have no intention of losing his place.

Southampton possible starting lineup:
McCarthy; Livramento, Salisu, Bednarek, Walker-Peters; Redmond, Ward-Prowse, Romeu, Elyounoussi; Adams, A. Armstrong

Leicester City possible starting lineup:
Schmeichel; Castagne, Evans, Soyuncu, Thomas; Ndidi, Soumare; Lookman, Maddison, Barnes; Vardy

We say: Southampton 1-1 Leicester City

Going down 4-0 to Liverpool should not be a trigger for Southampton to press the panic button, especially given how defensively sound they have been on home soil so far this term.

It is difficult to know what to expect from this inconsistent Leicester side - except for goals at both ends in away fixtures - and we can see a refreshed Southampton XI coming away with a respectable point.

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