Southampton vs Crystal Palace

St Mary’s Stadium sets the stage for an exciting Premier League clash between rock-bottom Southampton and high-flying Crystal Palace.

Southampton’s relegation from the Premier League has seemed inevitable for some time, with manager Ivan Juric admitting before the international break that they cannot avoid the drop. His focus is on delaying the inevitable, urging his side to show more fighting spirit, in their final nine matches, though his own record of just one win in 12 league games in charge of the Saints (L11) offers little encouragement. Furthermore, the former Torino boss has lost all six Premier League home matches so far, and another defeat would see him match the all-time record for most consecutive home losses by a manager to start their tenure, set by Mick McCarthy and Vincent Kompany. That scenario appears likely, as Southampton risk becoming only the third team in English top-flight history to suffer ten home defeats on the trot in a single season.

Meanwhile, Crystal Palace should take the field in a buoyant mood after a superb 3-0 win at Fulham last weekend saw them lock down a place in the FA Cup semi-finals and extend their winning streak in all competitions to five games. Moreover, Oliver Glasner’s men have only lost twice in 2025 (W10, D1), while their last league outing yielded a narrow 1-0 home victory against relegation-threatened Ipswich. The Eagles have been particularly impressive on the road, winning six consecutive away games in the build-up to this trip, including four in the Premier League – each via an identical 2-0 scoreline. As a result, they could win five in a row for the first time in their top-flight history.