- Southampton won 3-1 on Dec. 18
- Bournemouth has never won at St. Mary’s
- Saints lead all-time 12W-5D-7L
Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe hopes 13 is the charm as his Cherries look for their first ever road win of a South Coast Derby at Southampton (Watch live at 12:30 p.m. EDT on NBC and online via NBCSports.com).
St. Mary’s is the scene for Saturday’s late tilt, and Southampton has seen eight home wins and four draws in the 64-year history of the rivalry.
The Cherries and Saints are level on 33 points, though Bournemouth has played two more matches. Howe’s men are looking to build on their first consecutive PL wins in a year.
[ MORE: PL Preview — Merseyside Derby ]
For Southampton, it’s been all about new striker Manolo Gabbiadini. The Saints won’t have the 25-year-old Italian, who has netted six times in five appearances for the club.
Bournemouth has an in-form striker of its own, and Joshua King has been healthy. He at least a goal or an assist in four-straight PL matches, and has eight of his 11 PL goals since mid-January.
What they’re saying
Howe on Bournemouth striker Joshua King: “He is definitely up there as one of my best signings. Whether he is the best or not, I don’t know. The pleasing thing with Joshua is his potential is enormous. We feel there is a lot more to come from him. He’s improving rapidly, he’s making great strides and that is all down to his attitude and how he conducts himself every day.”
Saints’ Jack Stephens on the task at hand: “Bournemouth are a good side who like to keep the ball and play nice football so I think it’ll be a good match on Saturday. They’ve had a few good results of late so I think it’ll be a really good game.”
Prediction
The curse won’t be lifted, but there will still be some relief for Bournemouth in the form of a point. 1-1.
