Southampton take on the visitors West Bromwich Albion in the second leg of Championship playoff semifinal. First leg result: 0-0. The match will be played on Friday, April 16th at St. Mary’s Stadium (Southmapton).
Southampton are performing below expectations for the second year in a row. The Saints had a disappointing season. After the long-awaited arrival of the wealthy and ambitious investor, Dragan Solak, who acquired a controlling stake from the Chinese, there were expectations of the unique team's battle for European competitions - but last spring they plummeted into the Championship. And even there, they failed to demonstrate the level of the relegation compatriots, Leicester. While the Foxes, alongside Leeds and Ipswich, ambitiously determined the third wheel and eventually returned to the Premier League directly, Soton under the leadership of Russell Martin was generally consistently in the top 6. There was a chance to make a late surge and push aside the deflated mid-spring leaders. But the team ended April with three consecutive defeats. They only managed to beat Leeds in the end - but that changed nothing. On Sunday, playing away, they managed to hold the match to a fairly decent result, 0-0.
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West Bromwich Albion are not devoid of ambitions, but their recent attempts to establish themselves in the Premier League have failed. In 2021, they were relegated again immediately. And then there were weak performances, and only with the arrival of Corberan as head coach were there reasons for optimism. Carlos became the manager during the last season, taking over a crisis-hit team. And then he literally lacked just one victory to fight for promotion through the playoffs in the spring of 2023. But after the summer break, he managed to maintain the morale of his wards, and they quite early staked out a place in the playoff zone. In the end, they also lost three times in a row last month after a ten-game winning streak. But they finished the regular season with a home demolition of Preston. Hosting the Saints there, the team didn't score. But they also didn't concede - it all ended in a goalless draw. Now they need to figure out how to win away.
The clubs played for the first time this season since spring 2021. And the relegation-bound wards of Russell Martin proved stronger twice, scoring exactly 2 goals each time. Overall, this is a fairly evenly matched pair in terms of potential. But the Saints are playing at home, and this season they have already beaten such opponents multiple times. Let's bet that they will defeat the Throstles in regular time.
Prediction for the match: Southampton to win.
