After being well beaten at home to a very impressive Chelsea side on Sunday afternoon, Southampton now turn their attentions to the Europa League and the visit of Inter Milan to St Mary’s.
The Saints were on the wrong end of a 1-0 scoreline when the two sides met three weeks ago in the San Siro, with Claude Puel’s men unable to find an equaliser despite numerous chances throughout the game.
Since the last meeting between the two sides, Saints have had mixed results domestically after an impressive 1-1 draw at Manchester City was followed up by a 1-0 victory over Sunderland in the EFL Cup and a 2-0 defeat at home to Chelsea.
As for their Italian counterparts, Inter have since sacked manager Frank de Boer after a disappointing start to the campaign had left them 12th in Serie A with only four wins from eleven games, with the Dutchman’s last game in charge being the 1-0 away defeat to Sampdoria on Sunday.
A win for Southampton could see them move top of the group should Sparta Prague slip up in their game against Hapoel Be’er Sheva, meaning a win in Prague in the next set of European fixtures would see Saints qualify for the knockout stages of a European competition for the first time since the 2003-2004 UEFA Cup.
The omens are looking good for The Saints as well, as they remain unbeaten at home in European football since a 4-2 defeat by Sporting Lisbon in October 1981.
As for team news, it is expected Claude Puel will make several changes from the side that were beaten by Chelsea on Sunday, with youngsters Sam McQueen and Olufela Olomola hopeful of featuring. Matt Targett, Cedric Soares, Jake Hesketh and Harrison Reed, however, will miss out through injury. Backup ‘keeper Alex McCarthy will also be sidelined, with veteran shot-stopper Stuart Taylor expected to shadow Fraser Forster.
As for Inter, caretaker manager Stefano Vecchi will be without midfielder Marcelo Brozovic, with the Croatia international suspended after picking up a red card the last time the two sides met.
