Southampton's nosedive towards Premier League relegation continues to gather speed and it would be a major surprise if they avoided another defeat when in-form Brighton and Hove Albion come calling.
Saints are now just 1/100 to make an instant return to the Championship and it's hard to hold out any hope of a great escape with Ivan Juric's side 10 points behind fourth-bottom Wolves.
I fancied Bournemouth to pile on the pain for Southampton last weekend and the Cherries delivered with a 3-1 victory that brought up two of my bets. The defeat could have been even heavier and Southampton now have to lift themselves for another south coast derby.
Brighton are pretty similar opponents to Bournemouth and make the short trip to St Mary's in high spirits after back-to-back wins over Chelsea in the FA Cup and Premier League.
The Seagulls seem to be flying again after a sticky spell when they went eight league games without a win, albeit six of those matches ended in draws. Fabian Hurzeler has a talented squad at his disposal and if Brighton hit the same heights they reached against Chelsea they should have too much class for this demoralised Southampton team.
How the bookies view it: Hell on earth for fallen Saints
With Brighton getting back to their best it's no surprise to see them as BoyleSports' 4/7 hot favourites. Southampton are 4/1 to rack up just a third Premier League win this season while the draw pays 3/1.
Recent head to head: Brighton bossing it
Southampton's record in this fixture has been poor in recent years and they've gone six games without a win against Brighton. Three of those matches have ended level though, including a 1-1 draw at the Amex earlier this season.
Players to watch: Mitoma in the groove
Kaoru Mitoma has been the main man for Brighton in the last two games, scoring two superb goals against Chelsea. The Japanese winger is 2/1 at BoyleSports to continue his scoring streak but I fancy him for an assist more at 3/1 with Bet365.
I'm surprised Kamaldeen Sulemana hasn't been starting more games for Southampton after he ran riot during their unlucky defeat to Manchester United. But he got the nod last weekend and scored so he should be in from the off here. The dangerous forward is 4/1 for another goal which looks a little overpriced. He's also 21/10 at Bet365 to either score or assist.
Probable line-ups
Southampton are still without a few key players as Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Adam Lallana, Ross Stewart, Jack Stephen, Ryan Fraser and Juan Larios sit in the stands.
Brighton have a lengthy injury list too, with Igor Julio, Ferdi Kadioglu, James Milner, Jason Steele, Previs Estupinan, Solly March and Lewis Dunk set to miss out again.
Southampton: Ramsdale, Bree, Sugawara, Bednarek, Walker-Peters, Aribo, Smallbone, Ugochukwu, Fernandes, Sulemana, Onuachu.
Brighton and Hove Albion: Verbruggen, Lamptey, Webster, Minteh, Van Hecke, Veltman, Rutter, Baleba, Mitoma, Hinshelwood, Welbeck.
Anything else catch the eye?
Southampton may be losing pretty much every week but they've still been scoring and have drawn a blank in just one of their last seven Premier League games. That makes me think we'll see goals at both ends in those one but BTTS pays just 8/13 at BoyleSports.
To boost those odds, adding on over 2.5 goals take you to evens while backing BTTS and no draw is a little bigger at 13/10. Over 3.5 goals on its own also appeals at 6/4.
Brighton should have more of the ball and the pressure so I fancy them for a few corners. Over 10.5 match corners looks good at 11/10 with BoyleSports while over 6.5 Brighton flag kicks is the same price.
This English Premier League match between Southampton and Brighton and Hove Albion will be played on Feb 22, 2025 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Southampton vs Brighton and Hove Albion prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
