Southampton vs Leicester live: What time does it start, where can I watch it and what are the odds?
Claude Puel returns to St Mary’s to face Southampton on Wednesday with his Leicester City side on a three-match winning run.
Puel, sacked by the Saints in June despite leading them to eighth place in the league and the League Cup final, has overseen an upturn in Leicester’s fortunes, with the Foxes having lost only once since his appointment (W4 D2).
Puel’s Leicester are beginning to more resemble the side which won the title two years ago than the team sucked into a relegation battle last season, with the pace of Demarai Gray, Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy hurting teams once again.
Southampton are not in terrible form themselves, as Mauricio Pellegrino has them scoring again at last, mainly through the efforts of Charlie Austin. The Saints striker has scored in every league game he has started this season, with four goals in the past four games. Finishing is still a problem for Southampton, however, and they should have put Arsenal comfortably to bed before Olivier Giroud’s late equaliser on Sunday.
Shane Long is touch-and-go to be available for Wednesday’s match as he recovers from a calf injury while Cédric Soares may also return from a hamstring injury. If not, Jack Stephens is likely to carry on at right-back, while Pellegrino may well continue his policy of midfield rotation, with Mario Lemina or Steven Davis pushing for selection. James Ward-Prowse is likely to be the man to miss out.
Robert Huth and Matty James remain long-term absentees for Leicester, but they have no new injury or suspension problems. Leicester will likely stick with an unchanged team from their Newcastle and Burnley wins, with Gray playing through the middle with Vardy and Shinji Okazaki offering an option from the bench.
What time does it start?
Southampton vs Leicester City is at 19:45 on Wednesday night.
Where can I watch it?
Highlights will be available on Match of the Day, at 22.45 on Wednesday on BBC1.
It’s a big game for…
Pierre-Emile Højbjerg. A big-name summer signing from Bayern Munich, big things were expected from the Denmark international last season but he has struggled to provide any creativity in a ponderous Southampton attack, contributing no goals or assists in 22 Premier League appearances. It took him until late October to make his first appearance of this season, but he has finally broken back into the side, with three starts in the past two games.
With over 65 passes per 90 minutes in the Premier League he has composure on the ball and passing ability, but he needs to show that he can cope with the physical demands of the Premier League, as well as contributing more in attack. Against a tough physical Leicester midfield of Wilfred Ndidi and Vicente Iborra, this is a perfect opportunity for Højbjerg to showcase his undoubted talents.
Best stat…
Southampton have completed 8,004 passes so far this season, the sixth highest total in the league, and over 2,000 more than Leicester.
Player to watch…
Demarai Gray. The youngster has been revitalised by Puel after being criminally underused by Craig Shakespeare, starting all but one of the Frenchman’s Premier League games. His end product, often criticised, has improved, with four goals this season - the most since his tally as an 18-year-old in the Championship with Birmingham.
With a large squad, however, he has plenty of competition for his place. Kelechi Iheanacho in particular, signed for £25m from Man City in the summer, offers pace and goals and will feel hard done by with only two starts in the league all season. Gray will have to keep scoring to keep his place.
Previous three meetings…
Southampton 3 Leicester City 0, Premier League, January 2017
Leicester City 0 Southampton 0, Premier League, October 2016
Leicester City 1 Southampton 0, Premier League, April 2016
Form guide…
Southampton: LDLLW
Leicester City: LWLDD
Odds…
Southampton: 21/20
Leicester City: 13/5
Draw: 23/10
