Real Football Man All of the Football, All of the time
Southampton forward Jay Rodriguez won’t be involved against Bournemouth as he is struggling with a foot injury.
Sadio Mane returns after serving a ban in the midweek League Cup win over Aston Villa, but Shane Long is still sidelined with an ankle injury.
Bournemouth goalkeeper Artur Boruc has a thigh problem and is expected to miss the game against his former club.
Harry Arter could make his first Premier League appearance after returning from injury in midweek.
Editor’s Note: Bournemouth have shipped 10 goals in the last two matches so confidence is going to be pretty low for The Cherries going into this, I think they will probably be helped that Artur Boruc isn’t available today after his woeful performance against Tottenham last weekend.
Bournemouth have unsurprisingly looked a different side since the injury of Callum Wilson and their worry is not only the leaking of goals at the back, it’s the drying up of goals up front. For all his endeavor Glenn Murray isn’t delivering as much as Wilson was and Josh King just doesn’t look like a Premier League level Striker. Obviously this is an issue they can’t really address until January when the transfer window re-opens but if they aren’t scoring as much they must address their defensive frailties first.
A win for Southampton could take them 7th, after a slow start to their season they are showing more of the performances that secured then that place in the league last season. They looked good value for their point at Anfield last weekend and although a local derby can mean the form book goes out of the window, I see no reason why the Saints can’t march on today.
