Southampton vs Brighton and Hove Albion. Premier League.
St. Mary's StadiumAttendance28,706.
Jan Bednarek misses out with calf injury for Saints but Brighton will be without Adam Webster and Adam Lallana; follow Southampton vs Brighton in our dedicated live match blog; watch free match highlights on Sky Sports digital platforms and YouTube channel after full-time
Saturday 4 December 2021 16:51, UK
Team news, stats and prediction ahead of Southampton vs Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday; kick-off 3pm.
Jan Bednarek will miss Southampton's Premier League clash with Brighton on Saturday due to a calf injury.
The Poland defender trudged out of Wednesday's 2-2 draw with Leicester in the closing stages and will now miss out this weekend.
Stuart Armstrong will sit the game out with a heel complaint, while goalkeeper Fraser Forster picked up a knock in training and will also be out of action. Defender Jack Stephens is building fitness after a long-term knee injury.
Brighton will be without Jeremy Sarmiento, Adam Webster and Adam Lallana after all three were injured against West Ham in midweek.
Teenage winger Sarmiento was handed a full Premier League debut but it lasted just 13 minutes before he hobbled off with a hamstring issue.
Defender Webster was another first-half casualty after suffering a calf problem, and Lallana limped off late on with a leg injury which means he will miss out against his old club.
Follow Southampton vs Brighton in our dedicated live match blog. Highlights will also be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel after full-time.
Two teams I'd pay money to watch but two teams I don't trust in front of goal, Saints and Brighton are both in the bottom four for conversion rates this season and only Wolves and Norwich have scored fewer goals (13). The under 2.5 goals line has been well found in the market, though, at 4/6 with Sky Bet - which tempers my enthusiasm to get involved on the goals angle.
When a game is likely to go under the goal line my eyes are always drawn to the under cards lines, too. A lack of goals usually means less chance for chaos and counter-attacks and a knock-on effect for cards. Referee Anthony Taylor is a sensible decision-maker in the middle and doesn't go digging into his pocket for no reason. The 11/10 with Sky Bet for under 40 booking points looks a decent value play.
SCORE PREDICTION: 1-1
BETTING ANGLE: Under 40 booking points (11/10 with Sky Bet)
Peter Smith is joined by Sky Sports News Midlands reporter Rob Dorsett, features writer Nick Wright and football journalist Oliver Yew to look ahead to the Premier League weekend.
PART 1 | Rob Dorsett discusses Steven Gerrard's impact at Aston Villa, the club's ambitious plans, and the reasons behind Leicester's underwhelming start to the season.
PART 2 | Nick Wright assesses the problems facing Rafa Benitez at Everton and what Mikel Arteta must do to get a misfiring Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang back in form.
PART 3 | Oliver Yew reflects on Bernardo Silva's brilliant performances for Manchester City, the strength in depth at Pep Guardiola's disposal, and whether there's a chance of an upset at Watford.