Southampton vs Stoke City Predictions

• Stoke have failed to score in their last four away matches
• Both teams have scored in just one of the Potters’ last 12 games on the road
• The Saints have scored just six goals in nine Premier League matches this season

Saints searching for much-needed lift

Few Southampton loyalists would have expected much more than a tough season back in the Premier League, but a tally of one point from their nine Premier League games this season is even worse than many expectations.

Fellow promotees Ipswich are the only team who have failed to beat the Saints in the top-flight since they won May’s Championship playoff final, so any success would be a massive boost for Russell Martin’s side as they face Stoke in the last 16 of the Carabao Cup.

There have been signs of improvement, even though they lost 3-2 to Leicester in their last home game after taking a two-goal lead, and a 1-0 defeat at Manchester City after conceding early on was encouraging.

But they have a lack of firepower and that points to few goals in their game against the Potters on Tuesday.

Goal-shy Potters may struggle to make impact

The visitors have already had a great result against one south-coast side this season after they posted a 6-1 Championship win over Portsmouth.

However, they have found goals hard to come by and have not found the net in their last four games on the road, so we can anticipate a low-scoring encounter with the top-flight team just coming out on top, perhaps by a 2-0 scoreline.