Southampton will look to move out of the Premier League relegation zone when they face Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday.
Saints slipped back into the bottom three when they were beaten 2-0 by Liverpool at St Mary’s in their previous top flight encounter earlier this month, combined with other results involving the teams around them going against them.
The south coast bounced back from that disappointing performance by beating West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns for the second time in a fortnight last Saturday, setting up a very winnable FA Cup quarter-final tie against League One outfit Wigan Athletic.
Manager Mauricio Pellegrino brought Nathan Redmond back into the line-up for the clash against the Baggies for his first start since Boxing Day, with goals from Wesley Hoedt and Dusan Tadic giving the visitors a 2-1 win.
Saint will look to build on that victory ahead of their long trip north to face Sean Dyche’s men in Lancashire this weekend, and while Pellegrino may be tempted to stick with the same XI that secured the win against Alan Pardew’s side, the Argentine boss could be asking for trouble unless he makes a couple of alterations.
Here are two changes the 46-year-old must make to his team when they face Burnley…
Oriol Romeu for Nathan Redmond
Romeu was dropped to the substitutes’ bench for the trip to West Bromwich Albion last weekend, but it was probably only because he currently has nine booking to his name this season, and another one will result in a two-match ban.
Mauricio Pellegrino obviously didn’t feel that was worth the risk at the Hawthorns as he opted to bring Redmond back into the starting XI, and Saints benefitted from the more attacking team in the west Midlands.
However, while the Argentine will want go to Burnley and attack on Saturday, he will be also be well aware that his team can’t afford to lose against the Clarets and he must be a little cautious with his selection too.
He should choose to bring Romeu in for Redmond, and then push either Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg or Mario Lemina forward into the role behind the striker, with Dusan Tadic moving to the left wing.
Shane Long for Guido Carrillo
Long missed the trip to his former club West Bromwich Albion with a slight knock, but he should be fit enough to take his place in the Southampton squad this weekend, and should be handed a start by Pellegrino.
January addition Carrillo has started the south coast outfit’s previous three matches following a substitute appearance against Brighton and Hove Albion on January 31, but he is yet to find the net even though he did produce an assist for Dusan Tadic at the Hawthorns last time out.
While he is decent in the air, so are the Burnley centre-back duo of Kevin Long and Ben Mee, and it may be a more effective tactic to play a quick striker who will cause the pair plenty of problems on the ground.
While Long may not be a regular goalscorer he will do that and is a nuisance for opposition defenders, and he should know his namesake Kevin’s weaknesses well too having played with him for the Republic of Ireland.
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