'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Southampton will entertain Blackburn Rovers at the St. Mary's Stadium in the EFL Championship on Saturday.
The hosts are unbeaten in their last 13 league outings and have drawn two games in a row. In their previous outing, they were held to a 1-1 draw by Coventry City in their midweek match on Wednesday. Samuel Edozie equalized in the 67th minute after Haji Wright opened the scoring for Coventry in the 50th minute.
The visitors returned to winning ways after two defeats in a row in their midweek clash against Bristol City, recording a 2-1 home triumph. Arnór Sigurðsson scored in the 35th minute and Scott Wharton doubled their lead in the 52nd minute while Mark Sykes halved the deficit for Bristol in the 60th minute.
The hosts are in fourth place in the league standings with 39 points to their name and the visitors are in ninth place, trailing them by eight points.
Southampton vs Blackburn Rovers Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two teams have met 46 times across all competitions, with their first competitive meeting dating back to 1936. The two teams have contested these games closely with the hosts having a narrow 19-17 lead in wins and 10 games ending in draws.
- They last met in the 2004-05 Premier League season, with both teams registering home wins.
- The visitors have outscored the hosts 34-33 in 21 league games this season while the hosts have the better defensive record, conceding five goals fewer (29).
- Southampton are unbeaten in their last six home games in the Championship, recording five wins.
- Blackburn Rovers have just two wins in their away meetings against the Saints.
- The visitors have won four of their last five away games in the Championship, scoring at least thrice in three goals in that period.
Southampton vs Blackburn Rovers Prediction
The Saints are unbeaten in the Championship since September and have won four games in a row at home. They have lost just once at home against the visitors since 1938 and are strong favorites. They have scored at least two goals in five of their last six home outings and are likely to enjoy another prolific outing here.
Juan Larios is a long-term absentee for head coach Russell Martin while Ross Stewart and Kamaldeen Sulemana are also sidelined until after the new year.
The Riversiders returned to winning ways after consecutive defeats in their midweek match and will look to build on that form in this match. They have won four of their last five away games, scoring 13 goals while conceding five times in that period.
Jon Dahl Tomasson remains without the services of Joe Rankin-Costello, Tyrhys Dolan, Dominic Hyam, Aynsley Pears, Sam Gallagher, and Ryan Hedges. A few changes in the starting XI are expected from their midweek clash.
They will hope that the league's topscorer Sammie Szmodics returns to goalscoring ways in this match. He has failed to score in his last two appearances for the Rovers but picked up an assist on Tuesday.
The hosts have enjoyed a good run of form in the league recently and considering their record at home against the visitors, we back them to eke out a narrow win.
Prediction: Southampton 2-1 Blackburn Rovers
Southampton vs Blackburn Rovers Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Southampton to win
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Over 2.5 goals
Tip 3: At least one goal to be scored in the second half - Yes
Tip 4: Adam Armstrong to score or assist any time - Yes
