The 9 players set to miss Southampton v Birmingham City ft £7m striker | OneFootball

FLW takes a look at who's missing ahead of this weekend's second tier clash in Hampshire

Southampton host Birmingham City at St Mary's on Saturday afternoon, with caretaker manager Tonda Eckert surely hoping his side can bounce back from their 3-2 defeat to Millwall.

Before last weekend’s loss in Bermondsey, Saints’ temporary manager had overseen a remarkable revival in form since taking over from Will Still, winning his opening four matches at the helm, and he's likely to land the job on a permanent basis.

However, with several players unavailable through injury, Eckert faces a stern test against a resurgent Birmingham City side that have four wins from six themselves - and sit one point out of the play-off places in eighth.

Somewhat fortunately for Blues, Chris Davies revealed in his pre-match press conference that "There's nothing new to report in terms of injuries. Everyone is as they were." But they do have some players already out with long-term injuries

There was no mention of Southampton's Brazilian winger Leo Scienza in Eckert's press conference though, after he missed out for them last week through illness - that's because he's expected to start, as per Daily Echo reporter Alfie House.

So, with that being said, FLW takes a look at the nine absentees ahead of the second tier clash in Hampshire.

Mads Roerslev

Southampton will be without Mads Roerslev once more, as the Danish right-back continues his recovery from a knee injury picked up against Sheffield Wednesday last month.

The 26-year-old previously made 146 appearances for the Bees across six seasons, and is expected to remain sidelined, with Eckert saying, "he's going to take a little bit longer."

Roerslev has featured nine times in the Championship so far this season, but his position at right wing-back is likely to be continued in once more by Tom Fellows.

Elias Jelert

The exact same words Eckert used regarding Roerslev's situation were used for his Danish team-mate, Elias Jelert, who is another right-sided player that is missing on the sidelines.

On loan from Galatasary, Jelert pulled his quad muscle in late October, a few days after playing 70 minutes against Swansea City, and he hasn't been seen since.

With just three league outings to his name, Jelert has been somewhat of a peripheral figure, and he continues to be so at St Mary's.

Shea Charles

An important player in Southampton's engine room, Shea Charles is understood to be back in first-team training soon, but won't be involved in matches yet, which rules the 22-year-old out for the Blues game.

The Northern Ireland international had to be replaced in the last ten minutes of the club's defeat against Blackburn Rovers in October, and it was later revealed by then-manager Still that the midfielder picked up a hamstring injury.

Even though Saints have picked up wins recently, they are still missing Charles' presence in midfield, and his return cannot come soon enough.

Ross Stewart

Three games before Charles suffered his hamstring injury, Ross Stewart was subbed off against Derby County because he did similar - although the Scottish striker's hamstring injury was linked to his tendon, which wasn't great news at the time for Southampton fans.

Stewart is reportedly not going to be back until the New Year, and given his pretty terrible injury record over the years, it remains to be seen how the Scotsman truly recovers from it.

Damion Downs

Summer signing Damion Downs is still "not 100 per cent yet" according to Eckert, so the 21-year-old American striker will be unavailable for this weekend's Championship fixture.

Yet to score his first goal for the club, the Hampshire outfit spent a reported £7m to bring him to the club from German side FC Koln in the summer, where he had netted ten goals in 29 2. Bundesliga appearances last season, but the USA international has struggled so far in the Championship.

Lee Buchanan

The visiting Blues will be without left-back Lee Buchanan, who suffered a serious knee injury against Blackpool in December last year and has been fighting his way back ever since.

Speaking on the club's official Blue Rising podcast, Buchanan did reveal he is targeting a return next month though, stating, "When I'm outside and in the gym I feel good. I'm on target for a return in January, all going well."

Ethan Laird

Laird is another long-term absentee at the West Midlands club.

After picking up a hamstring injury against Coventry City in September, Davies confirmed at the end of November that the right-back won’t be in training until February at least.

It's not the first time that ex-Man United full-back Laird has suffered a hamstring injury, and due to his explosiveness, his latest setback will likely not be his last.

Scott Wright

At the same time as confirming Laird's absence from the Birmingham squad until after the New Year, Davies revealed that Scott Wright is nearing the end of his nine-month ACL injury layoff.

Although the Southampton game will still be far too early for him, Wright is expected to return at a similar time to Buchanan, but he faces a tough task trying to force his way back into the plans of the City head coach.

Willum Thor Willumsson

Icelandic midfielder Willum Willumsson has not featured in a Blues shirt since their defeat to Leicester City in August, and remains unavailable this weekend due to a problem that has not been shared by the club.

However, it has been reported that despite suffering a slight setback, it is only a "matter of weeks" until the 27-year-old is back in action for City, but like Wright, he may have a battle on his hands if he wants to play regularly in the Championship, with the likes of Patrick Roberts and Jay Stansfield ahead of him in the pecking order in the areas of the pitch he operates in.