Southampton ramp up their pre-season preparations on Saturday with a friendly against Saint-Etienne, which will conclude their tour of France.
Mauricio Pellegrino will hope to see progress within the squad following a week of intense training in Évian-les-Bains. The new boss has, so far, only seen a glimpse of what the Saints squad is capable of, with two previous draws against St Gallen (0-0) and Brentford (2-2).
Fans will have been excited to see the team looking quite dynamic upfront at Griffin Park, with a number of decent opportunities and a brace for Charlie Austin. However, despite a clean sheet in Austria, Pellegrino will be hoping to see a much better defensive performance from his team in France after some embarrassing moments against Brentford.
With the previous two friendlies mainly being about fitness, Pellegrino may well be starting to think about trying to integrate his philosophy and tactics into the team before the upcoming fixtures at St Mary’s.
Given that the manager has taken a blend of youth and experience to France with him this week, fans can expect to see that combination in action against Saint-Etienne on Saturday.
Here’s how I think Saints will line up.
