Southampton FC team news and predicted XI v Watford | OneFootball

Southampton travel this weekend to face Watford on Saturday afternoon at Vicarage Road.

Russell Martin's side are in fantastic form, winning four of their last five in the division, including a 2-0 win over Cardiff City last weekend, and going unbeaten since the end of September.

That win extended their run without defeat to 11 games in the Championship, and has helped them close the gap on the likes of Leicester City, Ipswich Town, and Leeds United in the race for automatic promotion.

It looks like yet another interesting match-up at Vicarage Road, where Watford have been fairly strong this season so far, losing just twice in 10 outings.

The early team news is that summer-signing Ross Stewart has a fresh concern, after his long-awaited return from injury. The Scottish striker landed awkwardly against Huddersfield Town recently and is now ruled out through to mid-to-late January. Kamaldeen Sulemana is also likely to be out of action until 2024, too.

Will Smallbone has also been absent recently and could miss out, but his injury is not expected to keep him sidelined for a long period and he could be in the matchday squad against the Hornets.

A win could take the Saints a step closer to the automatic promotion places. Here, we take a look at the starting lineup Martin could put out in search of another crucial three points. Could he make some changes from the win over Cardiff?

GK: Gavin Bazunu

Bazunu has been Southampton’s first-choice goalkeeper under Martin, and he has repaid that faith with some impressive performances despite a rough start to the campaign.

The Republic of Ireland international is set to keep his place in the team on Saturday and has been ever-present in all of their league clashes so far.

RB: Kyle Walker-Peters

Walker-Peters is another player to have appeared in every minute of Southampton’s league campaign so far and that is not about to change this weekend.

He is one of the most crucial players in build up and arguably the best full-back in the division. He showed his quality with the stunning goal in the win over Bristol City recently.

CB: Taylor Harwood-Bellis

Harwood-Bellis has proven to be one of Southampton’s best signings from the summer, and his place in the starting lineup is assured as a result.

Since the Manchester City loanee joined on transfer deadline day, he has been another consistent starter for Martin due to how well he suits his style of play and has been top drawer in recent weeks.

CB: Jan Bednarek

The majority of Martin's strong defensive spine has been settled of late, and a strong pairing is beginning to form at the heart of Southampton's defence.

Bednarek was a Premier League regular for the Saints, so it is no surprise that he has started every game he possibly could have done in the league so far this season.

LB: Ryan Manning

Manning has found himself rotated in and out of the side and on the bench in recent weeks, with James Bree impressing on the left flank.

However, he has been back in action and performed well in the two recent games against Bristol City and Cardiff, and Martin may look to keep that core in his back five together.

RCM: Shea Charles

The big-money summer signing from Man City has been utilised in a few different roles, be that in midfield or at centre-back, but started the last game against Cardiff in the middle of the park.

Charles should be in line for another start given Smallbone's injury issue recently, offering more defensive security than his midfield partners.

CM: Flynn Downes

Martin's pivot player will be tasked with dropping the deepest to receive the ball off the centre-backs and to turn out of pressure to instigate attacks from deep and dictate the tempo of the play.

Downes has been impressive for Southampton so far this season, and has cemented his position as one of the first names on the team sheet every week since reuniting with Martin at St. Mary’s.

Armstrong is another seasoned professional and former Premier League regular and he has been one of the most consistent performers in the Championship so far this season for the Saints.

He has featured in every league game, starting all but five, and he should be in the lineup again on Saturday afternoon.

RW: Adam Armstrong

Arguably Southampton's best player this season has been the other Armstrong, Adam, as he has scored 12 goals in 19 league appearances, placing him second in the top-scorer rankings in the Championship.

His role has been fairly fluid, as he isn't often the central striker anymore, so he is either a bit deeper as an advanced midfielder or starts from the right and drifts inside. He will be a key man for the Saints as they look to get another win.

CF: Che Adams

Adams hasn't found Championship life easy this season as he has only scored three goals in the early parts of the campaign but Martin may stick with the centre-forward for another game.

The Scottish international had a lot of rumours about his future in the summer, but with a busy festive period ahead, it may make sense to attempt to play him back into form. Adams has been deployed from the left recently but is a more central striker.

LW: Ryan Fraser

Fraser hasn't started a game for Southampton for some time now, often making a positive impact from the bench instead out wide.

However, Carlos Alcaraz didn't put in his best performance in the Cardiff clash and Martin could be tempted to move Adams centrally to accommodate a more natural winger into his forward line.