Southampton vs Fulham: 5 Key Battles That Will Decide The Game

By Tim Hiley /

5. Darren Bent vs Artur Boruc

Both sides have struggled in front of goal so far this season, and both have found their goals from elsewhere on the pitch. For the Cottagers, they have two midfielders on two goals, the same as Darren Bent, whereas the Saints have 2, possibly 3, goals scored from their centre backs. However, Darren Bent has had an impressive start to his Fulham career as he looks to resurrect his World Cup dream. He has played in 6 games of Fulham's 8 games, and in that time had 4 shots, all of which on target and two of which were goals. Every other shot has found the net for the 29 year old, which makes him a danger in front of goal. He is also a good penalty taker, and should Saints concede a penalty on Saturday evening, it will be interesting to see who comes out on top. Matching him in goal, is Artur Boruc. Boruc has had a fairly good start to the campaign: five clean sheets in eight games, only conceding 3 goals all season, having the second best defence in Europe, which has been hugely impressive to watch, especially for those who prefer Kelvin Davies in the Saints net.