Southampton kick off their second Premier League fixture of the 2017/18 campaign at home to West Ham.
Mauricio Pellegrino’s side were held to a goalless draw at St Mary’s on the opening weekend, and will be looking for victory to kick-start their season.
Their opponents, West Ham, find themselves at the foot of the league table after last weekend’s 4-0 drubbing by Manchester United, with Anthony Martial, Romelu Lukaku and Paul Pogba putting the Hammers to the sword.
Slaven Bilic will be hoping for more fortune come this fixture, hoping his side can pick themselves up from last week, and get themselves some points on the board.
But Saints, who lacked cutting edge against Swansea, will hope for a Mario Lemina impact, as the new record-signing looks set to make his first highly anticipated appearance for Saints.
A solid performance is required to reassure the St Mary’s faithful, after a frustrating 2016/17 campaign, but Pellegrino’s men need to be wary of players like Javier Hernandez and Marko Arnautovic, who pose a big threat in West Ham’s attacking department.
I take a look at where this game could be won and lost for Saints…
