Match Pack: Saints vs Blackburn
The third game in a busy week sees Southampton welcome Blackburn Rovers to St Mary’s Stadium, hoping to return to winning ways in the Sky Bet Championship. Get set for our return home with our Match Pack…
THE MATCH
Saints vs Blackburn Rovers
Sky Bet Championship
St Mary’s Stadium
Saturday 16th December, 3pm GMT
THE OFFICIALS
Referee: Graham Scott
Assistants: Matthew Wilkes and Akil Howson
Fourth official: Lewis Smith
HOW TO WATCH?
Due to the 3pm kick-off blackout, fans in the UK and Ireland won’t be able to access video coverage of the game on Saints Play. However it is available to those watching internationally, with a video pass being charged at £10.
Alternatively everyone is available to access our audio coverage, including fans in the UK and Ireland.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Saints extended their unbeaten run to 13 games on Wednesday night, but will be looking for their first win in three on Saturday, their longest wait for maximum points since September.
A much-needed three points back at St Mary’s could see Russell Martin’s side leapfrog Leeds United into third and close the gap on the top two nine points.
Meanwhile Blackburn bounced back from two defeats on the bounce to win at home to Bristol City on Tuesday night.
Victory for Jon Dahl Tomasson’s side then rise to as high as sixth, five points off Saints in fourth.
TEAM NEWS
After missing the last two outings at Watford and Coventry through illness, Martin confirmed Flynn Downes is available for Saturday after training twice this week.
Elsewhere it leaves long-term absentees Kamaldeen Sulemana, Ross Stewart and Juan Larios.
For Blackburn, manager Tomasson has hinted centre-back Dom Hyam could return to the squad, having missed the last eight games with an ankle injury.
But Rovers injury list remains long; Aynsley Pears, Sam Barnes, Joe Rankin-Costello, Ryan Hedges, Sam Gallagher and Tyrhys Dolan all ruled out of Saturday's trip.
THE MANAGERS
Russell Martin: “[Blackburn] are brave and energetic, we have to play with more courage than them and more energy.
It’ll be a good game, a tough game, but we’re at home and it should be a good game of football.”
Jon Dahl Tomasson: "We will go with a no-fear attitude, they are unbeaten in 13 games and we want to beat them and then there will be plenty of games they will go to win because they will be competing to be a Premier League club.
"We need that no-fear attitude which we do have. In the last five away games, we have four away wins."
TOP SCORERS
Southampton
Goals:
Adam Armstrong 12
Ché Adams 4
Smallbone, Edozie 3
Assists:
Adam Armstrong 6
Kamaldeen Sulemana 3
Adams, Walker-Peters, Manning 2
Blackburn Rovers
Goals:
Sammie Szmodics 14
Arnór Sigurdsson 5
Five players 3
Assists:
Andrew Moran 8
Five players 3
Six players 2
ONES TO WATCH
Sammie Szmondics: Look no further than Blackburn’s number eight, who’s contributed to 17 goals in 21 Championship games so far.
Playing mainly in the attacking midfield position, the 28-year-old stands alone in the division for goals, boasting 0.68 goals per 90.
Sam Edozie: By his own admission he’s had to wait for his chance back in the starting XI, but Edzoie certainly made his mark after coming on against Coventry.
The young winger gained a WhoScored rating of 7.26 from the bench on Wednesday, Saints’ highest performer on the night.
HEAD TO HEAD
Played: 46
Saints: 19
Draws: 10
Blackburn: 17
LAST FIVE MEETINGS
April 2005: Blackburn 3-0 Saints
August 2004: Saints 3-2 Blackburn (Phillips, Svensson, Beattie)
February 2004: Blackburn 1-1 Saints (Phillips)
October 2003: Saints 2-0 Blackburn (Beattie, Griffit)
February 2003: Blackburn 1-0 Saints
DID YOU KNOW?
Adam Armstrong has been involved in 12 goals in his last 11 home games (10 goals, two assists)
A win for Saints on Saturday would make it five straight home wins for the first time since November 2014 under Ronald Koeman
The two sides haven’t met each other in a league game since April 2005 in the Premier League.
KEEP UP TO DATE
Can’t make it to St Mary’s on Saturday? We’ve got you covered! We’ll bring you all the behind-the-scenes content alongside the in-game action from SO14.
Check out our interactive match centre at southamptonfc.com, with live streaming of the game, key updates and audio commentary of the match, and be sure to download the official Saints app and follow us on social media for further updates and exclusive content:
