Premier League Football: Stoke vs Southampton

Stoke face Southampton at the Bet365 Stadium on Saturday afternoon, in the seventh round of matches in the Premier League.

The Potters come into this match on the back of a 4-0 home defeat against Chelsea, a poor result for Mark Hughes' side.

Alvaro Morata was undoubtedly the man of the match for Chelsea, with his first Chelsea hat-trick (2, 77, 82).

The Spaniard has been an excellent acquisition for Conte's side, on this evidence its hard to see Chelsea missing Costa too much.

The other Chelsea goal was scored by another Spaniard, this time Pedro scored to make it 2-0 to Chelsea (30).

Mixed Start

Stoke had a poor campaign by their standards last season, finishing in 13th place.

They are now on a run of three straight defeats, with two Premier League and one Carabao cup defeats.

The Potters must now raise their game and get out of this poor run of form, a home win will be vital for them.

Stoke's find themselves 16th in the Premier League, with five points from their opening six matches.

Mark Hughes's side come into this match as slight favourites, with last season informing the bookies.

This will be a tough match for Stoke, with Southampton enjoying a few solid performances.

Stoke will be looking to make it back to back wins against Southampton.

Mixed Form

Southampton come into this match in mixed form, with a narrow 1-0 defeat against Manchester United in their last match.

Romelu Lukaku continued his fine form this season, scoring his 8th goal in 8 appearances for Manchester United.

The Belgian converted at the second time of asking, after he knocked home when his head rebounded off the bar and into his path (20).

Southampton did make it tough for United in the second half, going close through Oriol Romeu on two separate occasions.

It was a match that saw Jose Mourinho sent to the stands by the referee, not before shaking hands with everyone in the stadium.

Mauricio Pellegrino will be alarmed at the inconsistent results from his side but they have remained solid defensively.

They have conceded just three goals in the last four matches, but they have really struggled up front this season.

Southampton are 11th in the table as a result, three points ahead of their opponents Stoke.

This match against the Potters will be tough, with Stoke looking to end their poor run of form as well.

Southampton come into this match as the underdogs, with home advantage informing the odds.

Mauricio Pellegrino will be looking to win this fixture, securing another vital away win.

The Saints will be looking for their 2nd win in 4 matches against Stoke.

Tip 1 – Crouch to score first @ 6/1

Tip 2 – 1-1 draw @ 9/2