Southampton have 15 points from 20 games to be rooted to the bottom of the Premier League, while Blackpool are placed 23rd in the Championship with 26 points from 27 games.
Southampton take on Blackpool in a fourth round FA Cup contest that will see two teams struggling in the relegation zone in their respective divisions going against each other. The Saturday evening contest will be an interesting one for various reasons. It goes without saying that both sides are not where they would like to be in their respective league table right now. With these clubs struggling in the relegation spots in their league, the FA Cup will act as a welcome distraction.
Things have not gone according to plan for either club, as they are not where many expected them to be at this stage of the campaign. It has been a real struggle for these two sides, as they have been unable to add any kind of momentum to their game. Therefore, they welcome the opportunity to keep their minds away from league action and focus on cup football for the time being.
As things stand, Southampton have 15 points from 20 games to be rooted to the bottom of the Premier League, while Blackpool are placed 23rd in the Championship with 26 points from 27 games. They both have already lost 13 games in their respective league and have a difficult task in climbing out of the relegation zone. In the last round of the FA Cup, Southampton overcame Crystal Palace 2-1 and Blackpool hammered Nottingham Forest 4-1.
Read More – Southampton vs Blackpool: Records, Stats, Goals, Head to Head & everything to know
There are set to be quite a few players who will miss this contest for both sides. Jan Bednarek is cup-tied and will not be available for Southampton, while Duje Caleta-Car is suspended for this game. Moussa Djenepo is also unlikely to be used in this match. There are also question marks over the availability of Armel Bella-Kotchap, Juan Larios, Alex McCarthy and Valentino Livramento.
On the other hand, Blackpool will be without the injured Ekpiteta. He will be joined on the sidelines by Keshi Anderson, Kevin Stewart, Lewis Bridcutt, Lewis Fiorini and Jordan Lawrence-Gabriel. They will also be without Owen Dale and Bez Lubala for this game. However, the return of Ian Poveda, who is on loan from Leeds United, will be a big boost for them.
Southampton possible line-up: Bazunu; Walker-Peters, Lyanco, Salisu, Perraud, Lavia, Maitland-Niles, Ward-Prowse, Edozie, Elyounoussi, A. Armstrong
Blackpool possible line-up: Maxwell, Connolly, Squires, Thorniley, Husband, Bowler, Patino, Carey, Hamilton, Poveda, Madine
Southampton
Opponents | Score |
Newcastle | 0-1 (L) |
Aston Villa | 0-1 (L) |
Everton | 1-2 (W) |
Manchester City | 2-0 (W) |
Crystal Palace | 1-2 (W) |
Blackpool
Opponents | Score |
Watford | 2-0 (L) |
Nottingham | 4-1 (W) |
Sunderland | 1-1 |
Sheffield Utd | 1-2 (L) |
Hull | 1-1 |
Last 5 matches (all competitions) | Results |
Blackpool beat Southampton | 3-0 |
Southampton draw Blackpool | 2-2 |
Southampton beat Blackpool | 2-0 |
Blackpool draw Southampton | 1-1 |
Southampton lose to Blackpool | 0-1 |
The FA Cup match between Southampton and Blackpool will take place at St. Mary’s Stadium on Saturday at 8:30 pm IST.
The FA Cup match between Southampton and Blackpool can be seen on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra in the United Kingdom.