Southampton FC’s start to the Premier League 2024/25 campaign has been rather miserable. Coming on the back of a frustrating 1-1 draw against Ipswich, losing on the complete 3 points due to a 95th-minute equalizer by Sam Morsy, the Saints still find their first win of the PL season. So far, having just a single point from their first 5 fixtures, Russell Martin’s side needs to turn things around in their upcoming matchday against Bournemouth.
While the Cherries club isn’t on a good run either, the fact that their recent losses have come against the Big 6 clubs definitely goes in their favor. Currently, in the 13th position of the PL table, Bournemouth, with 5 points from the five matchdays, find themselves in a much more relaxed state than Southampton, who might be in the relegation battle again.
Considering the recent form and the start of the two clubs in the season, Sky Sports host Paul Merson backs the hosts to gather the complete 3 points at the Vitality stadium. Speaking about the game, Merson mentioned,
“”I have a feeling it’s another week of none of the promoted teams getting a point, so I’m backing Bournemouth to win here.””
– Paul Merson
In fact, the former Arsenal midfielder predicted that Martin’s side would fall tormented to the hosts, getting destroyed by them with a scoreline of 0-3. Mentioning the predictable playstyle of the Saints, Merson commented,
“”I think Bournemouth will destroy them in this game. I watch Southampton, and I know how they are going to play. They aren’t going to surprise their opponents this weekend.””
– Paul Merson
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While Paul Merson’s predicted win for AFC Bournemouth might eventually become the reality, ruling out the Saints by a scoreline of 0-3 seems a bit unfair. Not to forget, Southampton holds one of the best records against Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium, having lost only one time at the stadium in their last 8 meetings. Overall, while the Saints do enter the fixture being the underdogs, they might end up claiming their much-awaited first PL victory this season.
