Match Pack: Saints vs Swansea City
Boxing Day football comes to St Mary's as Saints host Swansea City in the first of two home games to conclude the calendar year. Get set for the Sky Bet Championship clash with our Match Pack...
THE MATCH
Saints vs Swansea City
Sky Bet Championship
St Mary's Stadium
Tuesday 26th December, 3pm GMT
THE OFFICIALS
Referee: Keith Stroud
Assistants: Lee Venamore, Greg Read
Fourth official: Alan Young
St Mary's Stadium will be ready for some festive football. (Photo: Matt Watson)
HOW TO WATCH?
Tuesday's festive fixture will be available to watch wherever you are in the world, in the UK or abroad, on Saints Play. The cost for a Video Pass for this game will be £10 unless you are a supporter with a Seasonal Video Pass, where it is included.
Alternatively, 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?
Having gained ground on the top two at the weekend, Saints will want to keep the pressure on in the first of back-to-back home games to see out the year.
With victory at QPR coming soon after Ipswich's loss at Leeds, the gap to second now sits at seven points, with the Tractor Boys facing a perilous trip to league leaders Leicester on Boxing Day.
The second dramatic script of the afternoon is Russell Martin facing his former employers for the first time since leaving in the summer, with Swansea heading to the south coast after a win over Preston.
TEAM NEWS
Shea Charles will serve a one-match suspension having been sent off for two bookable offences at QPR, while James Bree will likely miss out having limped off at Loftus Road.
Otherwise, Saints will have to assess the fitness of the rest of the squad as they prepare for a second game in the space of four days.
THE MANAGERS
Russell Martin: "I think we obviously know a lot of their players very well and they know us very well, so it's definitely a bit different.
“I have a lot of affection for a lot of people at that club and some of the people that will be in the crowd as well. I made friends there that will be friends for life, I'm sure.
“It'll be nice to see people and catch up with people who were brilliant for us in our two years there, but ultimately I want to win the game."
Alan Sheehan (Caretaker): To follow
TOP SCORERS
Southampton
Goals:
Adam Armstrong 12
Adams, Edozie 4
Alcaraz, Smallbone, S Armstrong 3
Assists:
Adam Armstrong 7
Kamaldeen Sulemana 3
Adams, Walker-Peters, Downes, Manning 2
Swansea City
Goals:
Jerry Yates 6
Paterson, Lowe 5
Grimes, Patino 3
Assists:
Matt Grimes 5
Paterson, Patino 4
Liam Cullen 3
ONES TO WATCH
Flynn Downes: The on-loan midfielder is one of a handful of former Swansea faces currently at Southampton, and he showed his importance to the side after missing a couple of games through illness at the start of the month.
Whether breaking up play or driving further forward, Downes could be a key figure in the middle of the park against his former side.
Jamal Lowe: Swansea's second-top scorer is their joint-most productive player overall with seven goal involvements so far this Championship campaign, coming in the form of five goals and two assists.
He is already over halfway to matching his respective hauls from his last spell at the club, as a successful 2020/21 campaign with Swansea earned him a move to Premier League side AFC Bournemouth who he is now on loan from.
Jamal Lowe in action for Swansea. (Photo: George Wood/Getty Images)
HEAD TO HEAD
Played: 73
Saints: 36
Draws: 16
Swansea: 21
LAST FIVE MEETINGS
January 2022: Swansea 2-3 Saints (Redmond, Elyounoussi, Long)
May 2018: Swansea 0-1 Saints (Gabbiadini)
August 2017: Saints 0-0 Swansea
January 2017: Swansea 2-1 Saints (Long)
September 2016: Saints 1-0 Swansea (Austin)
DID YOU KNOW?
- The two sides have met on Boxing Day twice before, in Division Two, when Swansea were known as Swansea Town well before their name change in 1969.
- Swansea were 2-1 winners in the 1932 meeting, but Saints got revenge in 1934 thanks to a solitary goal from Alfred Wheeler in a 1-0 victory.
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 the Swans.
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:
