Fresh from a comfortable 3-1 victory over Burnley at St Mary’s on Sunday afternoon, Claude Puel and his Southampton side now prepare for their third fixture in this seasons Europa League Group K, as Italian giants Inter Milan await at the San Siro.
The meeting will be one that neither set of supporters would’ve seen coming six years ago as 2010 saw Southampton win the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy and finish 7th in League One after starting the season on minus ten points. In the same year, Inter Milan, under the management of current Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho, completed the treble after winning the Coppa Italia, the Serie A title and the UEFA Champions League respectively.
The game will see The Saints come up against Italian opposition competitively for the first time in their 131 year history. As for their opponents, it’ll be the first time the Nerazzurri have faced English opposition since they met Tottenham Hotspur in the Round of 16 of the 2012-2013 UEFA Europa League, which saw Spurs run out winners on away goals after a late strike at the San Siro from Emmanuel Adebayor.
It has been a below average start to the season for Frank de Boer’s side, as they sit 11th in Seria A, taking eleven points from their first eight games. They haven’t faired much better in Europe either, sitting bottom of Group K after a 2-0 home reverse by Hapoel Be’er Sheva was followed by a 3-1 away defeat at Sparta Prague.
As for visitors Southampton, they will be looking to make it seven games unbeaten in all competitions since the 3-0 victory over Sparta Prague at St Mary’s in September. The victory over Burnley on Sunday saw Claude Puel’s men move up to eighth in the Premier League, however, Sam Vokes’ dubious consolation penalty saw their run of six consecutive clean sheets come to an end. Saints are also fairing well in their first season in the Europa League group stages, sitting top of the group on goal-difference after a 3-0 home victory over Czech outfit Sparta Prague and a goalless draw at Hapoel Be’er Sheva.
In terms of team news, Southampton will be without Sunday’s goalscorer Nathan Redmond, with the England under-21 man absent from Claude Puel’s 21-man party. Full-back trio Matt Targett, Ryan Bertrand and Cedric Soares all miss out on the trip through injury. There is some good news for Saints fans, however, with summer signing Sofiane Boufal making the trip to Italy. The Morocco international wasn’t involved in Sunday’s victory over Burnley, but will be expected to make his debut for The Saints on Thursday evening.
As for the hosts, Inter will be hoping midfielder Marcelo Brozovic will be fit for a full return to the side, with the Croatia international spending the last two weeks on the sidelines through injury. Top goalscorer Mauro Icardi will also remain in contention despite coming under fire as of late from Inter fans.
