Date: Sunday, October 6 Venue: St Mary's Kick-Off: 13:30 Southampton could keep their best defensive record since 1983-84 with a clean sheet against visiting Swansea on Sunday.
Team News
Southampton could be without Luke Shaw for the weekend visit of Swansea after the defender came down with a bout of illness. Manager Mauricio Pochettino has an otherwise fully-fit squad to select from. Swansea will once again be without captain Ashley Williams, who will sit out a fourth consecutive match with an ankle injury. Pablo Hernandez has returned to training, though this game may come too soon, but Angel Rangel could return from an ankle complaint. (BBC)
Key Stats
This is only the fifth meeting between these two sides in the last 30 years. Three of those games ended in draws, including both of last season's matches. Southampton have conceded two Premier League goals this term - the joint lowest tally in the division, along with Tottenham. Victory would see Swansea win three successive away games in the topflight for the first time since February-March 1982. A clean sheet on Sunday would mean the Saints have conceded two goals in their opening seven top-flight games. The last time they did that was in 1983-84, when they ended the campaign in second place, behind Liverpool.
What a start this has been to the Premier League season for Southampton. The unfancied South Coast side are sixth in the table, above Manchester City and United and have the join-best defensive record in the topflight. A clean sheet here would see them equal their record from 1983-84 when they last conceded just two goals in their opening seven league games. That year, they finished second in the table behind Liverpool! Swansea themselves come into this encounter in a buoyant mood having made it two wins out of two in the Europa League with victory over FC St Gallen Thursday night. You can't help but wonder however if those exertions will take their toll at the weekend. Both sides could make history here. While the Saints could keep their best defensive record since the mid-eighties, victory for Swansea would see them win three successive away games in the topflight for the first time since February-March 1982. Which of these two sides will get their names in the history books by the end of play?
Joseph is an accredited football journalist and has interviewed nearly all of the current 20 Barclay's Premier League managers. He is also a correspondent for Bleacher Report and has written for Caught Offside and Give Me Football.
