Southampton travel to the City Ground on Sunday afternoon, to face high flying Nottingham Forest, who sit third in the Premier League table.
The Saints come off the back of a disappointing 3-1 defeat to Manchester United on Thursday night.
Having taken the lead just minutes before half-time through a Manuel Ugarte own-goal, Ivan Juric’s side held that one goal advantage up until the 82nd minute.
United had been pushing for an equaliser, and they found it with less than ten minutes to play, with Amad Diallo slotting home from close range. It went from bad to worse for Southampton as Diallo scored again on the 90-minute mark and completed his hattrick in added time to secure all three points for the Red Devils, leaving Southampton ten points adrift at the bottom of the league.
For the first 75 minutes, it was by far one of the Saints’ best performances of the Premier League Season with the attacking trio of Tyler Dibling, Mateus Fernandes and Kamaldeen Sulemana giving United trouble defensively. But a late Amad Diallo hat-trick was a real kick in the teeth for Juric’s side
Talking to TNT Sports, the Croatian said: “To win this game you can play 75 minutes the big game and 15 minutes you have to be much more malicious and a little more evil.’
Southampton now face another strong test, travelling to Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
When the sides met earlier in the campaign, a second half Morgan Gibbs-White goal was enough to secure Forest all three points on the south coast. Currently on a seven-game unbeaten streak, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side last loss came away to Manchester City at the Etihad in early December.
It couldn’t be more opposite when it comes to Southampton. With one win all season, coming in early November, and sitting on six points at the base of the league table, Juric’s side are desperate for an up-turn in form.
It was a 7-goal-thriller the last time the two sides met at the city ground in
May 2023, as Southampton were defeated 4-3. Goals from Carlos Alcaraz, Lyanco and a 90th minute James Ward-Prowse penalty wasn’t enough to come away with a result.
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