Southampton Look to Extend Resurgence Against Improving Leicester

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Attacking Football

·24 November 2025

Southampton Look to Extend Resurgence Against Improving Leicester

In-form Southampton are set to welcome Leicester — a clash of two former Premier League stables, now lying mid-table in England’s second tier. Interim manager Tonda Eckert has revitalised the Saints, whereas Marti Cifuentes will look to build on the Foxes’ weekend victory over Stoke.

But will Eckert’s men maintain that winning momentum, or could Leicester stop Southampton in their tracks once again?

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The South Coast outfit has bounced back after former manager Will Still was given the boot. Three games, nine points taken, and ten goals scored. A 5-1 victory over Charlton came as a surprise to everyone, but it had been building up all season. The Saints continuously struggled to take their chances. Now, they’re one of the most clinical sides in the division. A rise to sixteenth place may not look like much, but they’re just four points shy of the playoffs.

Sitting three points above Southampton, Leicester have also struggled to establish dominance over the Championship (as they did two years ago). The past two wins have shown they’ve turned a tide, being able to turn goals into wins and limiting the opposition. Suffering a last-minute equaliser against Middlesbrough was a tough moment, but one that highlighted their need to hold onto results, as the Championship is unforgivable otherwise.

Last Five Games

Southampton

Charlton (A) — 5-1 Win
Sheffield Wednesday (H) — 3-1 Win
QPR (A) — 2-1 Win
Preston (H) — 2-0 Loss
Blackburn (A) — 2-1 Loss

Leicester

Stoke (H) — 2-1 Win
Norwich (A) — 2-1 Win
Middlesbrough (H) — 1-1 Draw
Blackburn (H) — 2-0 Loss
Millwall (A) — 1-0 Loss

Injuries & Suspensions

Southampton

Ryan Fraser – Illness
Cameron Archer – Ankle injury
Elias Jelert – Quadricep injury
Ross Stewart – Hamstring injury
Samuel Edozie – Ankle injury
Shea Charles – Hamstring injury

Leicester

Luke Thomas – Suspended
Aaron Ramsey – Hamstring injury
Ben Nelson – Leg injury
Caleb Okoli – Shoulder injury
Harry Souttar – Achilles tendon injury
Jakub Stolarczyk – Groin injury
Victor Kristiansen – Knee injury

Predicted Lineups

Southampton (3-4-3): Bazunu; Harwood-Bellis, Wood, Stephens; Fellows, Bragg, Jander, Manning; Azaz, Scienza; Armstrong

Leicester (4-2-3-1): Begovic; Pereira, Faes, Vestergaard, Aluko; Winks, Skipp; Fatawu, James, Mavididi; Daka

Manager Quotes

Tonda Eckert on whether detail gives discipline to his players: “Yes. For me, clarity in the roles is key, and we’re not just talking about the on-pitch roles and the tactical work. I think if you talk about roles within a team, that goes a lot further. I try to be as clear as I can be. Yes, that is true for moments in the game. I think it helps you to control transition moments, and that’s a big thing in the Championship.”

Marti Cifuentes on needing his side to stay focused: “Of course, now we’re going to try and enjoy it, but recover well because on Tuesday we go again. That’s the nature of the Championship, especially now with the period we are going to face; hopefully, they can enjoy tonight. That’s the problem of being a manager; you cannot enjoy the wins too much because you are always thinking about what is next, but I think it was important to achieve back-to-back wins.”

What to Expect

Leicester will dominate the ball, given that they rank third for possession average in the league, and they’ll look to create chances through that ball control. They sit eleventh for goals per ninety, highlighting there is a lack of quality goalscoring opportunities created, but they’ve overperformed their expected goals, unlike their South Coast opponents.

Under Eckert, Southampton have been more pragmatic, realising the time to soak up the pressure and utilise transitions or play on the front foot, overloading the final third once the initial opposition press is broken. This pragmatism came into fruition perfectly against Charlton, with constant patterns of players dropping deeper and running in-behind simultaneously. Will Still was unable to achieve this type of organised chaos, relying too much on organisation and becoming far too predictable.

The Saints will utilise the flanks to their advantage. Wingers Tom Fellows and Leo Scienza are the dangermen. On the counter, their speed is heavily advantageous, especially with bagsman Adam Armstrong in the middle. The Englishman has looked a breath of fresh air under the German interim. His ability to drop deep, link play and stretch the defence has resulted in five goal contributions in the past three games.

Leicester will be looking to secure back-to-back away victories for the first time this season, with Southampton seeking to match that feat by recording consecutive home wins in the league – something they haven’t achieved since April 2024, with wins against Coventry and Watford under Russell Martin.

If the Saints can maintain this balance of being compact while playing expansive attacking football, they may be able to gain their first victory over Leicester since 2023. A clean sheet seems impossible for both sides, but the current attacking quality of Southampton – with Armstrong, Fellows and Scienza – could prove decisive.