Southampton vs Cardiff: e-Football Preview

Article by e-Southampton Correspondent Samuel Wilkes

Southampton will be looking for another comfortable home win as they welcome the League's worst travelling side. Artur Boruc and Gastón Ramirez face late fitness tests after missing the previous game while Maya Yoshida is definitely out.

Cardiff have won just one game away from home this season, losing 11 and drawing the remaining four. Saints on the other hand have scored 8 in their last two home games and will be keen to bag more despite the absence of top goal scorer Jay Rodriguez.

His anterior cruciate ligament injury against Manchester City has ruled him out for the rest of the season but hands a potential opportunity to two players facing uncertain futures.

Rumours about Ramirez's move back to Italy have been almost constant this season and show no signs of abating with AC Milan the current preferred target. His talent is undoubtable but he has failed to pick up the pace of the Premier League despite nearly two seasons since his then record transfer. With the World Cup coming up, Saints will be hoping he stars for Uruguay if they are to recoup the £12 million paid for him or even make a profit.

Guly on the other hand has already admitted that he is likely to move away from St Mary's when his contract expires in the summer. He has often been a maligned figure in the Premier League but the importance of the 11 goals he scored during the promotion from the Championship should not be underestimated. Being Brazilian carries a certain amount of pressure and expectation from crowds and unfortunately Guly does not fit into that flamboyant, skillful stereotype. Think Samba Brett Ormerod rather than mercurial Mardi Gras.

If he does choose to head back to Brazil, he will be hoping to see Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana and even Luke Shaw ply their trade for England in the summer. Shaw will be buoyed by the fact that Ashley Cole has played only once for Chelsea since January while Lallana continues to gain plaudits for his performances capped by a belter against Newcastle in the last home game.

Lambert is one of only 9 top-league players in England, Spain, Germany, Italy and France to have achieved the “double-double” – double figures in both assists and goals (10 assists, 11 goals) and his penalty against Man City makes it 31 without fail.

With Cardiff on a terrible run of form and Saints pushing for their most wins in a Premier League season, this game would normally be a formality for the home team. But against a team scrapping, however badly, for their survival and with Jay’s season-ending injury fresh in the mind, this game is more likely to be won in the minds more than on the pitch.

Saturday’s game kicks off at 15:07, marking the 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster.

© e-Football 2014 All rights reserved no part of this document or this website may be reproduced without consent of e-Football