Following a thrilling Carabao Cup victory over Everton in the third round, Southampton hope to maintain their fine form as they prepare to face Ipswich Town in the third home fixture of the fifth Premier League matchday.
Also, the Saints will face another newly promoted team, Ipswich Town, who finished second in the Championship last season and received immediate promotion. However, the match will be balanced because both teams have yet to win this season, with Kieran Mckenna’s side coming off two encouraging 1-1 and 0-0 draws against Fulham and Brighton, respectively.
Southampton, on the other hand, has lost four games in a row in the Premier League and twice in the Championship to Ipswich. To earn their first three league points, Russell Martin’s side will need to put up an all-around performance in this encounter, both defensively and offensively. In the Premier League, both teams have conceded a lot of goals and have struggled to find the back of the net, so a draw appears to be a very plausible result.
Paul Merson predicts another defeat for Southampton against Ipswich Town
However, when it comes to this match, Premier League commentator Paul Merson recently projected Kieran Mckenna’s side to win 2-1, saying,
“Southampton are getting a bit predictable and that could hurt them. This is their best opportunity to get the first three points of the season.
I just think Ipswich hold the edge here. They are a better side in transition and have the firepower to hurt Southampton.”
Without a doubt, Southampton must strengthen their defensive buildup play and organize a dependable defense in order to keep a clean sheet in this encounter. Furthermore, it has to be seen whether Cameron Archer will return to the starting eleven, as Adam Armstrong and Ross Decent impressed against Everton recently. Furthermore, if the Saints win this important game, it will motivate them to make a return in the Premier League after a slow start and finish in the middle of the table.
