Southampton (A) | Match Preview
The Game
Southampton v Argyle. St Mary's Stadium. Friday, 29 December. 6pm. Sky Bet Championship.
The Opposition
Southampton were relegated last season from the Premier League, finishing bottom of the league.
They began this season with 10 points from a possible 12 from their opening four fixtures, including a win at Home Park, but were then beaten four times in a row, including a 5-0 loss at Sunderland, a 4-1 defeat at home Leicester City.
These four losses are the only four that Southampton have suffered in the league, though, as they have bounced back with a 16-game undefeated run, including 11 wins. They have won their last three fixtures, scoring 10 and conceding none in the process. In their last two home games, Saints have won 4-0 against Blackburn Rovers and 5-0 against Swansea City, with a 1-0 win at Queens Park Rangers in between.
The Gaffer
Russell Martin (pictured below) took over as Saints manager during the summer. During last season, Southampton had three managers: Ralph Hassenhuttl was sacked and replaced by Nathan Jones, who himself was replaced by Ruben Selles, acting as interim manager.
Martin left Swansea City to take the role at St Mary's, having been at the Swans for two seasons, during which they finished 15th and 10th in the Championship. His previous - and first - managerial job was at Milton Keynes Dons, the last team he represented as a player. In his playing career, Martin most notably played over 300 times for Norwich City, and won 29 caps for Scotland.
The Squad
Adam Armstrong is Southampton's leading goalscorer this season. He has started all 24 games the Saints have played, scored 12 times. Signed for a report £15m in the summer of 2021, Armstrong headed to Hampshire from Blackburn, where he had scored 64 times in 160 Championship appearances for Rovers.
Two other players have played every game for Southampton during this campaign. Kyle Walker-Peters has played most of his games at right-back, a handful at left-back, and has even filled in a position just off the front. Now 26, he came through the ranks at Tottenham, for whom he played 24 times. After a loan spell at Southampton in 2019/20, he signed permanently at St Mary's. Playing regular Premier League football - and impressing - led to two England caps in 2022.
Gavin Bazunu (above) has lined up for every game in the Saints' goal. Not 22 until February, Bazunu already has 21 caps for Ireland. He began his career with the Shamrock Rovers academy, moving to Manchester City at the age of 17. Bazunu never broke into the City team, but impressed with loans to Rochdale, then Portsmouth, and signed on a permanent basis for Southampton in June 2022, for a reported £12m.
Earlier This Season
The sides met in August, in the third game of the season. Nathan Tella opened the scoring for Saints, with Ryan Hardie equalising almost immediately. It looked as though Argyle, under pressure in the second half, would hold out for a draw, but Che Adams scored in injury time to give the visitors all three points.
A Strip for the Trip
Argyle will be wearing their white away kit for this game.
Tickets
Tickets for this game are sold out. For information on collections, delivery and so forth, please click here.
Argyle TV
Argyle TV’s pre-match show, with Charlie Price and Brian McGlinchey, will begin at 2pm, and is available to watch for free on YouTube. Commentary will be provided from St Mary's Stadium by Harry Salvidge and Ian Stonebridge.
International supporters can buy a match pass to watch the game, here. Because of Sky TV coverage, the game's availability is restricted in certain markets. For a full explanation, and to see which territories can view via Argyle TV, click here.
