Two teams battling to avoid the drop meet at St Mary’s on Wednesday night (19:30 KO) for a crunch Premier League clash, as rock-bottom Southampton play host to 18th-placed Nottingham Forest.
It is so tight in the standings that the Saints are only a victory from potentially jumping out of the relegation zone, while goal difference is the only thing keeping the Tricky Trees in the bottom three for the time being.
Just five points separate Southampton from Leicester City in 17th and it looks like the battle to stay in the top-flight will go right down to the wire, with every point earned potentially playing a huge part in keeping a side in the division.
Southampton vs Nottingham Forest Betting Tips
Team news
Southampton are set to be without Alex McCarthy, Theo Walcott, Juan Larios and Valentino Livramento for the contest, but Sam Edozie is expected to feature after recovering from the cramp that forced him off in the 77th minute of the defeat to Fulham last time out.
Nathan Jones has no other injury issues to contend with and he could decide to make an alteration up front, with Adam Armstrong potentially being brought in to replace the misfiring Che Adams.
As for Forest, Steve Cooper is without the services of injured quintet Omar Richards, Moussa Niakhate, Cheikhou Kouyate, Giulian Biancone and Jesse Lingard, who has been ruled out for a month with a hamstring problem.
Southampton To Win to Nil @ 11/5
Putting up a side that has conceded 32 times in the league to win to nil may seem strange at first glance, but the visit of goal-shy Forest presents the perfect opportunity for Southampton to keep a clean sheet and pick up three points.
The Tricky Trees are having their own problems at the back and have seen their goal breached on no less than 34 occasions, but it is at the other end of the pitch that is the real problem for Cooper’s troops in their quest to stay in the top-flight.
Forest have only netted 12 times from 17 matches – the second-worst record in the division behind Wolves (10) – while they have managed to score just once from eight away assignments in the league.
That strike came in August in a 1-1 draw at Everton, meaning Forest have gone six straight away PL matches without finding the back of the net and have only taken two points on their travels – the worst record out of all 20 teams.
Southampton have managed to pick up a victory over Chelsea and have had draws with West Ham and Arsenal at St Mary’s this season, so there is enough confidence about them on home soil that they can grab a much-needed win on Wednesday.
#PickYourPunt – Under 2.5 Goals & Ryan Yates to be carded @ 9/2
As mentioned earlier, a lack of a cutting edge in the final third has been an issue for both teams and there is unlikely to be a plethora of chances when they meet at St Mary’s, which brings in the Under 2.5 Goals market.
Forest have only had 167 shots in the league – only Bournemouth (137) have a worse record – while Under 2.5 Goals has been seen in two of Southampton’s last four home league assignments.
Boosting up this #PickYourPunt selection is Ryan Yates to receive a card. The Forest midfielder is no stranger to a challenge and he picked up his fourth yellow card in the draw with Chelsea last time out.
The 25-year-old has made 34 fouls this season, leaving him 15 ahead of nearest teammate Neco Williams, while he has also made 24 tackles to sit third in his club’s charts in that department.
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