Southampton claimed just their second Premier League win this season in their last outing against Ipswich but will find it much harder following it up when AFC Bournemouth come calling for a south coast derby.
Despite beating Ipswich 2-1 at Portman Road, Saints remain red-hot favourites for the drop as they are 10 points behind fourth-bottom Wolves with 14 games to play.
Ivan Juric's men failed to build on that victory over the Tractor Boys as they crashed out of the FA Cup to Burnley at St Mary's on Saturday, a result that effectively ended their season.
The Southampton boss won't write off their survival scrap until their fate is sealed but it would be the greatest escape in Premier League history if his demoralised side manage to dodge the drop.
Even beating Bournemouth in this clash seems like a stretch with the Cherries in tremendous form this season under Andoni Iraola.
Bournemouth beat Everton 2-0 away from home to march on in the FA Cup and the only defeat in their last 14 matches came against a Liverpool team who are odds-on favourites for the title.
How the bookies view it: Saints don't have a prayer
Given the respective form of these sides, it's no surprise to see AFC Bournemouth as BoyleSports' 11/20 favourites. Southampton are 4/1 outsiders and the draw pays 10/3.
Recent head to head: Nothing in it
This south coast derby has been keenly contested in recent seasons with the last eight meetings producing three wins apiece and two draws. Bournemouth won 3-1 when these sides faced off at the Vitality earlier in the season.
Players to watch: Semenyo's on fire
Antoine Semenyo has emerged as a key man for Bournemouth this season, with the former Bristol City forward netting nine times. One of those goals came in the last clash with Southampton and he's 6/4 for anytime scorer in this one.
Paul Onuachu has found a bit of form for Southampton, with the towering striker scoring twice in his last four outings. He could cause Bournemouth's defence some problems and is 5/2 for anytime scorer.
Probable line-ups
Key defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis is set to miss out again for Saints along with Ross Stewart, Jack Stephens, Juan Larios and Ryan Fraser.
Bournemouth are still without strike duo Evanilson and Eres Unal, while Alex Scott, Marcos Senesi, Luis Sinisterra, Adam Smith, Julian Araujo and James Hill also looks set to miss out.
Southampton: Ramsdale, Welington, Bree, Bednarek, Walker-Peters, Dibling, Aribo, Downes, Fernandes, Gronbaek, Onuachu.
AFC Bournemouth: Kepa, Huijsen, Kerkez, Cook, Zabarnyi, Brooks, Christie, Adams, Kluivert, Semenyo, Ouattara.
Anything else catch the eye?
Bournemouth should have too much class for Saints and it's hard to see Juric's defence keeping them out. BoyleSports price a Cherries win with over 2.5 goals at 13/10 and that looks worth a punt.
Iraola's side got the job done early in the last meeting as they led by three goals before half-time. That makes over 1.5 first-half goals as decent option here at 5/4.
The last meeting also produced seven cards so backing a busy day for the ref could also pay off. Over 52.5 booking points pays 11/8 at Betfred.
This English Premier League match between Southampton and AFC Bournemouth will be played on Feb 15, 2025 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Southampton vs AFC Bournemouth prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
