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

3. Morgan Schneiderlin vs Steve Sidwell

After showing loyalty throughout some of the darker days in the clubs recent history, and showing patience as the Saints worked their way up back to the Premier League, Morgan Schneiderlin has been reaping his rewards. Making the step up from Championship to Premier League, is no easy task, but few have made the transition seem so effortless than the 23 year old Frenchman, who won all the player of the season awards for Southampton last season. Starting in all 8 games so far this term, he has picked up where he left off. His passing accuracy is 86%, completing over 300 passes in these early matches and has successfully completed 79% of his tackles so far this season, again making him one of Saints' key players. His Fulham counterpart has also been enjoying a strong start to the campaign. Sidwell has got a slightly higher pass completion record so far this season, completing 88% of his passes, although the amount of completed passes is still lower than Schneiderlin. He has been successful in 16 of his attempted 17 tackles this season, and is a threat going forward. Despite having a shot accuracy of 25% (Two on target, 6 off target), those two shots on target were converted into goals, including a fantastic goal on Monday night.