West Ham United make the trip to St Mary's on Sunday to take on Southampton looking to continue their fine recent form.
David Moyes' side have won four matches in a row in all competitions and head to the south coast in high spirits after beating Anderlecht 2-1 on Thursday night.
For the Saints, their start to the 2022/23 Premier League season has been far from ideal, with the Hampshire side currently on a four-game losing streak.
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Ahead of Sunday's kick-off, football.london spoke to HampshireLive's Southampton reporter Mark Wyatt to get the inside track on West Ham's next opponents.
How have Southampton performed this season? Is the league table a fair reflection?
Saints have struggled for consistency and are already playing catch up with the position they'd hope to be in this season which is mid-table comfort. Their position in the league table is a very fair reflection on what has ultimately been an underwhelming opening nine games. Expectations were reasonably tempered following the club's dreadful end to the previous campaign, but a busy summer of signings perhaps gave some false hope that things would get immediately better. They haven't.
Who are the danger men for Southampton?
With just one goal scored in their last four matches, there aren't too many danger men in a rich vein of form at the moment. Joe Aribo scored that goal and has been a good creative influence across the forward line, while Che Adams is the top scorer for the season with four though they all came in a two-match burst back in August. Deadline day signing Samuel Edozie is still untested at this level but fans are hoping to see him get his first start for the club soon after impressing off the bench in recent weeks.
What formation are they likely to set out in?
You can never truly be certain with Ralph Hasenhuttl but he has stayed faithful to a four-man defence for the majority of the season after briefly flirting with three centre-backs in the opening weeks of the campaign to ill-effect. Against Manchester City last time out they started with a 4-2-2-2. Adams has also been used as the lone striker, whilst having three supporting playmakers behind him, in a 4-2-3-1 system.
Is anyone set to be absent?
Tino Livramento is still a long-term absentee. Romeo Lavia is the only other injury worry. He is expected to return soon from a hamstring injury picked up in late August but probably won't be ready to start against West Ham even if he has returned to training. We will find out more from Hasenhuttl during Friday's press conference.
What is your score prediction?
Saints haven't kept a clean sheet all season and there is serious pressure on Hasenhuttl's shoulders to get a result at St Mary's. An early goal for West Ham could turn the mood quickly but I'm backing the hosts to get a morale-boosting 2-1 win.
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