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Southampton logo
Premier League
Oct 25, 2014 at 3pm UK
 
Stoke logo

1-0

Mane (33')
FT(HT: 1-0)

Preview: Southampton vs. Stoke City

Sports Mole previews the Premier League clash between Southampton and Stoke at St Mary's Stadium, where the Saints hammered Sunderland 8-0 last weekend.

Southampton recorded their biggest ever Premier League victory last weekend as they hammered Sunderland 8-0 to continue their impressive response to a summer of turmoil.

A manager who had led them to an eighth-place finish and five of their best players left to prompt doubters into suggesting that the South Coast club would face a relegation battle this season.

It is fair to say that those fears do not exist anymore, with some shrewd recruitment and a rapid adaptation under Ronald Koeman helping them to third in the table, and leading to them now being tipped as outsiders for Champions League qualification.

Southampton's next Premier League test comes with Saturday's visit of 10th-placed Stoke City, who recently edged out Swansea City with a 2-1 win, from which the post-match war of words is still being fought.

Potters boss Mark Hughes slammed Garry Monk as "unacceptable" after his Swans counterpart accused Victor Moses of cheating to win a penalty, and has backed the FA's request for Monk to explain his comments.

Moses is an injury doubt for Stoke's trip to St Mary's Stadium, while Glenn Whelan has been ruled out for six weeks with a broken leg, joining Peter Odemwingie, Robert Huth and Marko Arnautovic on the sidelines.

Phil Bardsley should overcome a knock to continue at right-back and may play behind Jonathan Walters, who, along with Geoff Cameron, could have earned himself a start following his impact off the bench against Swansea.

Koeman will see no need to make changes to the starting XI which humiliated the Black Cats and therefore in-form summer signings Graziano Pelle and Dusan Tadic will continue in attacking areas.

The pair have seamlessly filled the voids left by Lambert and Lallana, with Pelle having scored seven goals in 10 games, but it was Tadic who stole the show last weekend with four assists and a goal of his own.

All four previous Premier League meetings between these sides have been drawn.

Recent form

Southampton: WLWWWW

Stoke: WLWWDL

Possible starting lineups

Southampton: Forster; Clyne, Alderweireld, Fonte, Bertrand; Cork; Wanyama, Davis; Tadic, Long, Pelle

Stoke: Begovic; Bardsley, Wilson, Shawcross, Pieters; Cameron, N'Zonzi; Walters, Adam, Diouf, Crouch

Sports Mole says: 2-0


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5West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom381991059362366
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8Coventry CityCoventry3715121059431657
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11Cardiff CityCardiff38165174351-853
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15Swansea CitySwansea381210164858-1046
16Millwall381110173650-1443
17Blackburn RoversBlackburn38119185164-1342
18Plymouth ArgylePlymouth381011175462-841
19Stoke CityStoke38118193553-1841
20Queens Park RangersQPR381010183650-1440
21Birmingham CityBirmingham38109194259-1739
22Huddersfield TownHuddersfield38815154261-1939
23Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds38115223061-3138
24Rotherham UnitedRotherham38311243077-4720

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