A place in the Championship playoff final is the prize as Southampton host West Brom in the semi-final second leg. The tie is perfectly poised following a stalemate in the first meeting but the Saints will fancy their chances of claiming the upper hand in front of their fans.
Southampton and West Brom could not be separated in the first leg as they battled to a 0-0 draw at the Hawthorns. The Saints had the slight edge in a closely fought encounter and will be confident of getting things right at St Mary’s.
The St Mary’s Stadium has been a great hunting ground for Southampton all season and they head into Friday’s clash with 10 wins from their last 12 home matches. However, defending remains a problem for Russell Martin’s men, who have kept just one clean sheet in the last nine matches in that run.
West Brom will be disappointed not to have claimed a first leg advantage as the result means they have picked up just one win from their last five matches. Carlos Corberan’s men have also claimed just two wins from their last 12 away matches and are currently on a four match winless run on their travels.
How the bookies view it: Saints firm favourites
Southampton have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 4/5 by bet365 to claim the win. A victory for West Brom is valued at 15/4 while a draw is set at odds of 13/5 by bet365.
Recent head to head: One-sided for the Saints
Southampton have the upper hand in recent fixtures against West Brom, claiming seven wins from eight matches prior to last weekend’s first leg. The Saints have also won the last three meetings at St Mary’s Stadium and did the double during the regular season.
Players to watch: Armstrong back among the goals
Adam Armstrong had a quiet outing in the first leg but remains the biggest attacking threat for Southampton after scoring 21 goals during the regular season. The forward was also on target in the meeting at St Mary’s and is priced at 7/4 with bet365 to find the net on Friday.
Brandon Thomas-Asante also struggled to find his rhythm at the Hawthorns but could still be worth keeping an eye on for West Brom. The forward had 11 goals during the regular season and is priced at 10/3 by bet365 to get on the score sheet.
Probable line-ups
Che Adams remains doubtful for Southampton after missing the first leg due to injury. Fellow striker Ross Stewart had a 20-minute cameo at the Hawthorns as he continues his return from injury and could be in contention to start.
Captain Jed Wallace could be in line to start for West Brom after coming off the bench in the first leg. Defender Semi Ajayi could also feature from the beginning following a substitute appearance at the Hawthorns.
Southampton: McCarthy, Stephens, Bednarek, Harwood-Bellis, Walker-Peters, Smallbone, Aribo, Downes, Manning, Stewart, Armstrong
West Brom: Palmer, Townsend, Bartley, Ajayi, Furlong, Mowatt, Yokuslu, Wallace, Fellows, Diangana, Thomas-Asante.
Anything else catch the eye? A more open encounter
Southampton and West Brom are likely to go for it on Friday and could be set to serve up an open encounter. Both teams could be backed to score at 5/6 with bet365, over 2.5 goals is valued at evens while over 3.5 goals is priced at 12/5.
The Saints scored in both halves in the two regular season meetings and could be set for a similar pattern at 7/4 with bet365.
This England Championship match between Southampton and West Brom will be played on May 17, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Southampton vs West Brom prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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