Saints to edge tight Championship opener against Sheff Wed
Southampton will be aiming to be put last season’s relegation behind them as they travel to newly promoted Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship opener on Friday night.
Southampton were awful last season but at least they went early with preparations for their drop to the Championship.
New director of football Jason Wilcox and manager Russell Martin’s arrival signalled a shift to possession-based tactics and they will be looking to hit the ground early, with a better group of talented players compared to the Owls.
Saints midfielder Will Smallbone looks technically sound and has an important role to play in the centre of the park, while Samuel Edozie and Nathan Tella look a real threat at this level.
The expectation is still that Romeo Lavia and James Ward-Prowse will leave the club, but both were involved in a 1-0 defeat to AZ Alkmaar at the weekend and should play an important part of Friday’s match.
There has also been big changes at Hillsborough with the appointment of Xisco Munoz, whose style wasn’t widely appreciated at Watford where he was dug out by individual talent.
However they still haven’t sorted their recruitment out for the new season and this match might catch them cold, even if it is in front of their own fans.
Callum Paterson, Michael Ihiekwe, Dominic Iorfa and Akin Famewo, a centre-back transitioning to a left-back under Munoz, are likely to line up in a back four.
In the middle of the park, George Byers has recently returned from a serious hamstring injury while Will Vaulks doesn’t look like a strong option at the base of midfield.
Star turn Barry Bannan will need to be at his absolute best to cope against the press of Southampton.
Verdict:
The Championship curtain raiser is always a tough one to call. In recent years, we’ve seen three 1-0 wins as well as several end-to-end barnstormers, including a 3-3 draw.
Martin’s Southampton looked sharp against AZ and was able to pinch possession high up the field often, most notably when Nathan Tella should have given them the lead.
The dynamism of their midfield and front line should allow them to dominate possession and win the battle in the middle of the park while Wednesday may take time to adjust to the pace.
Wednesday’s Michael Smith and Lee Gregory aren’t prolific at this level, but Southampton’s Adam Amstrong scored 28 goals for Blackburn while Che Adams found the net 22 times for Birmingham.
Still, we have to acknowledge the Yorkshire side are unbeaten in 24 competitive matches at home and Southampton were a train wreck on their travels in the Premier League.
That said, we’re going to draw parallels to Burnley beating Huddersfield 1-0 to kick off last season. No one knew what to expect from Vincent Kompany and a side making a huge transition.
The Saints are in the same boat and although it will take time, we think Martin will show the league what his side is all about. Bet on the visitors to win, but only just.
