Match Pack: Saints vs Plymouth Argyle
Saints close out the calendar year with the second of two home games, as Plymouth Argyle journey to St Mary's Stadium on Friday evening. Get set for the Sky Bet Championship clash with our Match Pack...
THE MATCH
Saints vs Plymouth Argyle
Sky Bet Championship
St Mary's Stadium
Friday 29th December, 6pm GMT
THE OFFICIALS
Referee: James Linington
Assistants: Andrew Fox, Alex James
Fourth official: Sam Allison
Saints are closing out 2023 at home. (Photo: Matt Watson)
HOW TO WATCH?
Friday's fixture is being shown live on Sky Sports, with coverage starting at 5pm on the Sky Sports Football channel.
If you can't watch the game, everyone will be able to listen to audio coverage of the action. A Monthly Audio Pass will cost £4.49, unless you have already purchased a Seasonal or Monthly Audio Pass, where it is included.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Saints' impressive unbeaten run has stretched to 16 games following their rampant 5-0 win over Swansea City on Boxing Day. It's the club's longest unbeaten run for over 100 years, and Russell Martin will want to extend the streak into 2024.
For Plymouth, they will be hoping to end the calendar year on a positive note and extend their current four-match run without defeat, providing a stable platform for the new year after losing manager Steven Schumacher to league rivals Stoke City.
TEAM NEWS
There were no fresh injury concerns during Saints' Boxing Day victory, with James Bree still unfit to return during the festive period.
Shea Charles will be available again after serving his one-match suspension, after he'd been sent off for two bookable offences at QPR.
THE MANAGERS
Russell Martin: "They'll be disappointed to lose Steven [Schumacher] but they have a group of players that have been together for quite a while and they will rally around, and they are rallying around, each other.
"They work extremely hard, they're very good as we saw earlier on in the season, so it'll be a tough game and we have to make sure we bring the energy and aggression we did in the second half [against Swansea].
"We need to follow that performance up now if we're really serious about what we want to do, we need to back this up. It's going to be good, I'm excited."
Neil Dewsnip (Interim Manager): To follow
TOP SCORERS
Southampton
Goals:
Adam Armstrong 12
Adams, Edozie 5
Ryan Fraser 4
Assists:
Adam Armstrong 9
Kamaldeen Sulemana 3
Adams, Walker-Peters, Downes, Manning 2
Plymouth Argyle
Goals:
Morgan Whittaker 12
Azaz, Hardie 6
Ben Waine 5
Assists:
Azaz, Cundle 5
Morgan Whittaker 4
Ryan Hardie 3
ONES TO WATCH
Ryan Fraser: Saints' diminutive Scot has proved to be quite the impact off the bench, particularly in recent weeks. Despite coming on in the 70th minute, 'Wee Man' scored twice in the Boxing Day demolition of Swansea to put the result beyond all doubt.
His brace of fine finishes, coupled with an assist in a 25-minute cameo against Blackburn Rovers the week before, have shown that Fraser is a player that cause plenty of damage against tiring opponents.
Morgan Whittaker: The 22-year-old is enjoying the best season of his career and has adjusted to life back in the Championship in impressive fashion - his 12 goals put him level with Adam Armstrong as the league's second-top scorers.
Clearly a talented finisher, Argyle's main outlet boasts an impressive accuracy from distance that has caught opposing goalkeepers out on multiple occasions this campaign.
Morgan Whittaker celebrates scoring for Plymouth. (Photo: Ryan Hiscott/Getty Images)
HEAD TO HEAD
Played: 93
Saints: 33
Draws: 26
Swansea: 34
LAST FIVE MEETINGS
August 2023: Plymouth 1-2 Saints (Tella, Adams)
May 2011: Plymouth 1-3 Saints (Lambert 2, Dickson)
August 2010: Saints 0-1 Plymouth
December 2008: Plymouth 2-0 Saints
November 2008: Saints 0-0 Plymouth
DID YOU KNOW?
Saints could complete a Football League double over Plymouth Argyle for the first time since the 1965-66 campaign if they win on Friday.
This is Plymouth’s first away league game at St Mary's Stadium in over a decade, since a 1-0 win on the opening day of the 2010-11 League One season.
KEEP UP TO DATE
Not joining us at St Mary’s? We’ve got you covered! We’ll bring you all the behind-the-scenes content alongside the in-game action as Saints host Argyle.
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:
