Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl will be looking to mastermind his side’s fifth successive unbeaten competitive fixture against Bournemouth on Friday night.
Saints head into this game on the back of a 1-0 win away at Sheffield United last weekend. The Cherries, too, were victorious and enjoyed plenty of success as they beat Everton 3-1 at the Vitality Stadium.
With the fixture at St Mary’s coming before any of the other Premier League fixtures kick off at the weekend, both Southampton and Bournemouth have the chance to move up to third place in the table with a win at this early stage.
Saints’ two top-flight triumphs this season have come on the road, and they are yet to secure three points in front of the home support.
However, they have not lost a match against Bournemouth at St Mary’s since Eddie Howe led his side up to the Premier League, which will provide the hosts with some encouragement.
So, what are the primary selection dilemmas that Hasenhuttl faces on Friday evening? We’ve identified five.
Danso to return?
Kevin Danso is back in contention after serving a one-game suspension against Sheffield United. Hasenhuttl has preferred him as a left-back so far this season, but he might not be keen to change a winning formula.
Formation switch?
Hasenhuttl has utilised three different systems already this season: 4-2-2-2, 3-5-2 and 3-4-2-1. Against Sheffield United, the latter formation was deployed, but the game against Bournemouth could see another set of tactical tweaks.
Yoshida to continue?
Maya Yoshida returned to the starting line-up last weekend and was impressive. He hasn’t played too much this season but might well have earned his place in Hasenhuttl’s plans for the Bournemouth game.
Pompey rotation?
Southampton play Bournemouth on Friday night and Portsmouth away on Tuesday. I think it’s safe to say that we all know which game Saints fans would prefer Hasenhuttl to focus on, but he could be tempted to rotate his side slightly to preserve the squad’s condition.
Bertrand recall?
Ryan Bertrand continued to be excluded from the starting line-up against Sheffield United. With Bournemouth possessing dangerous wide players, perhaps it’d be a good time to bring him back into the team.