Southampton Predicted XI: Preston North End (Pre-season)
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Southampton will embark on their second pre-season outing this Saturday with a trip to Preston North End.
The Saints are back in England following their week-long venture to Austria, which was capped by a 1-1 draw against SCR Altach last Sunday.
Che Adams got off the mark in a Southampton shirt just 116 seconds into his debut, but the Austrian Bundesliga side were able to hold their Premier League opposition after levelling proceedings later in the first half.
Ralph Hasenhuttl will be keen to see how his men react to an arguably stronger test this weekend when a trip to Deepdale awaits.
Alex Neil led Preston to a reasonable season in the Championship last term as they finished in 14th place, and he will hope to help his team cause a mini upset in the latest instalment of their pre-season preparations.
Hasenhuttl named a strong Southampton side against Altach, and it would come as no surprise to see him follow suit on Saturday afternoon.
Here is our predicted line-up for the friendly against Preston.
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Angus Gunn
Gunn was surprisingly given no minutes against Altach last week. He is likely to start against Preston.
Yan Valery
Valery is set to be the starting right-back heading into the season. Cedric Soares will have his work cut out if he is to reclaim his place, should he stay.
Maya Yoshida
Yoshida started against Altach and is likely to start again on Saturday. He provides a little more mobility than his fellow centre-backs.
Jan Bednarek
Jannik Vestergaard started against Altach, but Bednarek could be called into the line-up. He will be a crucial player for the club in the upcoming campaign.
Ryan Bertrand
Bertrand is the undisputed first-choice left-back. He will likely be given the nod ahead of Jake Vokins.
Oriol Romeu
Romeu is unlikely to be displaced. The Spaniard is set to take up one of the two holding midfield roles.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg
Hojbjerg is set to wear the captain’s armband for Southampton once again. It would be a surprise to see him benched.
James Ward-Prowse
Ward-Prowse came on at half-time against Altach having returned from his holidays slightly later. However, he could take up the position on the right-hand side against Preston.
Nathan Redmond
Redmond’s return, like Ward-Prowse, was delayed. He was impressive after coming off the bench last Sunday, nonetheless.
Danny Ings
Ings could come in for Shane Long. Hasenhuttl will want to experiment in the hope of discovering the best formula up front.
Che Adams
Adams was Southampton’s best-performing player against Altach. The new signing will hope to show his credentials against Championship opposition as he did so often last season for Birmingham City.
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