Football Results

This is one of rare showdowns between two Premier League team in the round of 16 of the English FA Cup, although if we judge according to their current positions in the league table both teams could very easily play next season in the second division. After 27 rounds West Bromwich is nailed to the bottom of Premier League, while Southampton is 18th and has six points more and on top of it had won both their head-to-head played this season.

West Bromwich

The two teams met the last time two weeks ago in Birmigham and the Saints won 3-2 after an interesting match, despite fact that the home team took the lead after Hergazy scored the first goal. Later on the guests scored three goals in quick succession and Rondon only softened defeat of his team in 72 minute. Since fore that match West Bromwich lost away to Manchester City and Chelsea it is quite clear that current atmosphere in the locker room is not at high level.

On top of it West Bromwich is nailed to the bottom of Premier League table as at the moment it has even five points fewer than Stoke and six than Southampton, while teams that are positioned above the drop zone have even seven points more than they. On the other hand, in previous round of FA Cup they made a sensation when they won Liverpool away by 3-2, and they expect something similar now against the Saints despite that cannot count on injured midfielders Livermore and Morrison, and forwards Sturridge, Chadli and Robson-Kanu.

Probable lineups West Bromwich: Myhill – Nyom, McAuley, Evans, Gibbs – Burke, Yacob, Krychowiak, McClean – Rondon, Rodriguez

Southampton

This round of 16 match of the FA Cup comes for the guest from Southampton after defeat at home in the league by Liverpool, which came after six-game unbeaten streak of three wins and three draws. True, two out of those three wins were won in the FA Cup over Fulham and Watford, while in the league they won only their next opponent West Bromwich. Three other matches were draws with Watford away and Tottenham and Brighton at home.

We have said that Liverpool put an end to their unbeaten streak last weekend and the defeat took the Saints again in the drop zone, although they have just one point fewer than 15th-placed Crystal Palace, 16th Swansea and 17th Huddersfield. It means that ahead of them is a bitter survival struggle in the league, which is why manager Pochettino has made several changes in the starting line-up for match with West Bromwich that will skip only injured forward Austin.

Probable lineups Southampton: Forster – Soares, Stephens, Yoshida, Bertrand – Davis, Lemina, Ward-Prowse – Boufal, Long, Redmond

Verdict:

Given that both team are currently preoccupied with the survival struggle in the Premier League it can be expected to play a bit more easily, just like in their recently finished league match, and with objective to score a goal more than their opponents.

Pick:  both teams to score 1.92 - 92/100 @1XBet