Brentford vs Southampton

Brentford Community Stadium is the venue as Brentford and Southampton go head-to-head in a bottom-half Premier League showdown.

Despite going winless in their last two league matches (D1, L1), Brentford are still in contention for a top-half finish in their maiden Premier League campaign, courtesy of a run of three consecutive wins beforehand. With 10th-placed Newcastle United three points away, the ‘Bees’ need a victory over a Southampton side they’ve failed to beat in their last five competitive home H2Hs (D2, L3). Indeed, following a thumping 4-1 defeat in the reverse fixture, Brentford could suffer their first league double to this opposition since 1954/55. Thomas Frank’s men have enjoyed a stellar debut Premier League campaign, yet only relegation-battling Watford and already relegated Norwich City have lost more home league games than Brentford (8) this season. They have also failed to find the net in their last two league outings, last experiencing a longer run without scoring in April 2019.

On the other hand, Southampton succumbed to a 2-1 defeat at Crystal Palace last time out, making it six losses in nine Premier League fixtures (W1, D2). Since racking up a shocking 3-2 win at Tottenham Hotspur in early February, the ‘Saints’ have alternated between draws (2) and defeats (3) across their last five Premier League away games, netting under 1.5 goals four times in that span. Moreover, Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men have picked up just four victories in their last ten Premier League match-ups against newly-promoted sides (D1, L5) after winning nine consecutive such contests beforehand. Scoring first may not necessarily mean a victory for Southampton here, as they’ve dropped a league-high 26 points from losing position during this Premier League season.