It is eighth versus ninth at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday as Stoke City take on Southampton in the Premier League.
The Potters are really on the up of late, while the Saints are aiming for a first win in four.
Stoke
© Getty ImagesAfter losing five games in a row in all competitions, Stoke have soared back up the table with three wins and a draw in their last four matches.
That one draw was last weekend, but it was still an impressive one as the Potters held Chelsea at Stamford Bridge - a ground they had always lost at in recent years - thanks to Mame Biram Diouf's late header.
The club is still trying to agree a new deal with winger Marko Arnautovic, one of their star performers this season.
Incredibly, without his nine Premier League goals this season, Stoke would be 12 points worse off. The Austrian has also scored six and assisted one more goal in his last nine Premier League appearances at the Britannia Stadium.
As a team at home, Stoke have lost just one of their last six Premier League games at the Britannia Stadium (W4 D1 L1).
Recent form: LLWWWD
Southampton
© Getty ImagesWhile Stoke come into this match full of confidence, Southampton have slumped a bit of late after five wins and six straight clean sheets between January 13 and February 13.
Although the club's losing streak was ended last week, Ronald Koeman will still be disappointed that his side needed an injury-time leveller from Virgil van Dijk against relegation-threatened Sunderland after the Saints' other centre-back, Jose Fonte, was sent off against the Black Cats.
Their dip in form means that any faint hopes of a top-four push seem to be over and a top-half finish is far from guaranteed.
Away from home, Southampton have won just two of their last eight Premier League matches (W2 D1 L5) and scored just six goals in their last 10 away league games.
Tomorrow's match sees the top two challengers for Joe Hart's No.1 jersey at Euro 2016 do battle. Jack Butland has been a standout player all season, but of goalkeepers to have played more than once in the Premier League this season, Fraser Forster, who was named February's Player of the Month today, has the best saves-to-shots ratio (81.5%).
Recent form: DWWLLD
Team News
© Getty ImagesHughes may be able to welcome back captain Ryan Shawcross from his latest back problem. The centre-back came through an intensive training session in midweek and could start against the Saints.
Midfielder Charlie Adam is also closing in on a return to full fitness, but he is unlikely to start given the form of Giannelli Imbula and Glenn Whelan, who will make his 300th Stoke appearance should he feature tomorrow.
The visitors will be without Fonte, so Maya Yoshida may come in and partner Van Dijk at the back. Victor Wanyama is also missing as he serves the last game of his five-match ban for getting sent off three times in the same season.
Up front, Charlie Austin is still out, but Shane Long is fully fit again and may replace Graziano Pelle as the lead striker.
Florin Gardos and Jay Rodriguez are both back in training but are still short of match sharpness.
Stoke possible starting lineup:
Butland; Cameron, Shawcross, Wollscheid, Pieters; Whelan, Imbula; Shaqiri, Afellay, Arnautovic; Diouf
Southampton possible starting lineup:
Forster; Cedric, Yoshida, Van Dijk, Bertrand; Ward-Prowse, Romeu; Tadic, Davis, Mane; Long
Head To Head
The reverse fixture in November at St Mary's was a tight game settled by Bojan Krkic's header after just nine minutes.
Should Stoke win tomorrow, it would be the first time that either team has done the double over the other in the Premier League era.
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We say: Stoke 1-0 Southampton
The Saints are struggling a bit at the moment and a confident Stoke outfit might just have too much for Koeman's side.
