West Ham United travel to St Mary’s with the firm message from Sam Allardyce that one win will all but secure the club Premier League safety.
Following the Hammers impressive 0-0 draw at Anfield the East end club moved onto 37 points just three from the magic 40 point mark.
The returning Andy Carroll will strengthen West Ham’s rather weak frontline and with Southampton’s form on the rise after impressive home wins against Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea. The Hammers will need to take their chances if they are going to get anything from this game.
Watching back the highlights from Sunday’s game you feel that had Carroll been in the team we would have picked up all three points. Carlton Cole’s form has been questionable and you can see his confidence is low as he rushed his chances to be the hero.
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Allardyce in his press conference told the media of the importance of this weekend’s clash he said, “If we win it, I think so. I know mathematically people will say we can still be caught and somebody could still overtake us but I find it difficult to believe that anybody would. Over the 20 odd years there are only a few cases of teams going down with 40 but it has been a long time since that was actually the case.”
Away from last Sunday, West Ham’s 4-1 win over Southampton at Upton Park will not be an accurate representation of what is going to come on Saturday. Under then manager Nigel Adkins the team looked to struggle against teams in and around them. And the stats shows that the Saints tend to excel against the bigger boys. But last weekend’s win over Reading at the Madjeski proves that under new manager Mauricio Pochettino the team seems to have got their confidence back.
The Saints home form has been topsy turvy against the top four; they have been exception scoring a 2-1 win over Chelsea, whilst hammering both Manchester City and Liverpool 3-1. But when teams around them come to town the south coast club has struggled losing to Sunderland, QPR and Wigan all at St Mary’s.
The most interesting battle will be between the strikers. Andy Carroll vs. the inform Rickie Lambert. Lambert is the top scoring English forward in the Premier League and the Merseysider has been in awesome form after recent weeks and talks of England call up are truly justified.
Sam Allardyce is aware of the threat the inform pair of Jay Rodriguez and Rickie Lambert can cause. He said; “Lambert and Rodriguez without a doubt, and Lallana if he plays, all three of them have mastered the challenge of the Premier League brilliantly. Their skills and abilities have been shown in abundance. To be honest with you, Lambert has been doing it right from the very start.”
The media have been impressed with the style of play Pochettino men have played since his arrival from La Liga side Espanyol. They press high up the pitch and pressure their opponents well. When they break the play down they counter quick and this style has meant big teams have become a cropper.
Despite his impressive start he told the media of his job to keep the players feet on the ground. The Argentinean said; “We cannot lose focus by looking at the long-term. It’s important to focus on the day-to-day and to work every single day. “We have to prepare for every game as if it was the last one we were going to play, because every single match from now until the end of the season is really important.
The Saints who lie in 11th one place ahead of the Hammers in 12th like the Hammers will believe a win will all but secure what in their eyes would be a very good first season back in the ‘big time’.
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Last Five:
Southampton:
- Reading Away 2-0 (w)
- Chelsea Home 2-1 (w)
- Liverpool Home 3-1 (w)
- Norwich Away 0-0
- QPR Home 2-1 (L)
West Ham
- Liverpool Away 0-0
- WBA Home 3-1 (W)
- Chelsea Away 2-0 (L)
- Stoke Away 0-1 (W)
- Spurs Home 2-3 (L)
Team News:
Southampton: Adam Lallana will be pushing for a starting role after coming off the bench to score the second goal in Saints’ 2-0 win at Reading last weekend. The midfielder returned to the squad after a groin injury.
There are no fresh concerns for Mauricio Pochettino as Saints go in search of a third successive home win.
West Ham: The Hammers are sweating on England striker Andy Carroll, who was unavailable to face parent club Liverpool last weekend, but has since picked up a virus which might make him a doubt for Saturday’s game. However, former Anfield man Joe Cole is hoping to overcome a hamstring problem in time for the trip.
Hammers left-back George McCartney is likely to remain out after suffering a recurrence of a medial knee ligament injury that previously ruled him out for three months, whilst midfielder Mark Noble is also sidelined.
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Last time out:
West Ham 4 Southampton 1
§ Noble X2 Lallana
§ Nolan
§ Maiga
How they lined up:
West Ham
§ Jussi Jaaskelainen
§ James Tomkins 88
§ James Collins
§ Winston Reid
§ George McCartney
§ Mark Noble
§ Mohamed Diame 68
§ Yossi Benayoun
§ Kevin Nolan
§ Matthew Jarvis
§ Andy Carroll 82
§ Substitutes :
§ Raphael Spiegel
§ Carlton Cole
§ Modibo Maiga 82
§ Jordan Spence 88
§ Gary O’Neil 68
§ Leo Chambers
§ Robert Hall
The Saints:
§ Artur Boruc
§ Nathaniel Clyne
§ Jos Hooiveld
§ Jose Fonte
§ Maya Yoshida
§ Jason Puncheon 65
§ Morgan Schneiderlin
§ Steven Davis 89
§ Adam Lallana
§ Jay Rodriguez 65
§ Guly Do Prado
§ Kelvin Davis
§ Daniel Seaborne
§ Rickie Lambert 65
§ James Ward-Prowse 89
§ Emmanuel Mayuka 65
§ Richard Chaplow
§ Ben Reeves
How to get there: By train: The stadium is located around one and a half miles away from Southampton station (where there is also quite a large car park), which should take about 30 minutes to walk. There is also a shuttle bus in operation taking fans from the station to the ground. This operates from the Blechynden Terrace bus stop outside the station.
Where to drink: Most fans seem to end up in the city centre before the game, where there are plenty of pubs to choose from. Paul Hunt a visiting Bristol City fan adds; ‘On our last visit the Standing Order Wetherspoons outlet was for home fans only, with bouncers on the door. We ended up in Yates Wine Lodge in the central shopping area. There were also a lot of away fans in the Slug & Lettuce next door’. Please remember though that if you do drink in the centre, that the stadium is a good twenty minute walk away. Otherwise alcohol is served within the ground.
All above info is thanks to Footballgroundguide.com
Weather: Clouding over on Saturday with a freshening southerly wind and a spell of rain.
Bowdenwhu predicts: Southampton 1 West Ham United 1
Tweet me @Bowdenwhu
Come on you Irons!
If you wish you can watch the game in full and its highlights on http://www.footballwatch.net/team/207