Southampton stunned Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday and now head to Ipswich in search of a place in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
The incredible first season in charge for Ronald Koeman came off the back of a summer that appeared to see a mass exodus of star players from St Mary’s. The forecasters of doom were in their element and even Morgan Schneiderlin sought reassurances about the clubs ambitions.
Those predictions look pretty silly now with Saints sitting in third position and as short as 7-4 to finish in the top four for an unprecedented Champions League spot. The wheels appeared to have come off in November with five straight defeats but they are firmly back on an even keel now.
A hard-fought draw against Chelsea and a win over Arsenal preceded Sunday’s victory. Koeman has admitted that he hates the squad rotation methods used by other Premiership sides and will always try to use the best side available to him. Understandably, he was not pleased to be taken to a replay by Ipswich but he is unlikely to change his approach now.
Ipswich are now slouches and are third in the Championship but they are reported to be struggling with a virus that force three midfield players home earlier this week. Mick McCarthy has tried to play it down but there must be a real danger that Ipswich struggle to put a fit team out on Wednesday night. If that is the case, the Saints must be great value in the win and goal markets.
32Red and Paddy Power are offering 6-1 about a Southampton win to new customers up to a maximum of ten pounds. That looks very tempting if you do not already have an account with them. I also like the chances of Pelle getting on the score-sheet here. It was his shot that cannoned back to Tadic on Sunday and he was always a threat in the 1-1 draw at St Mary’s.
Wednesday’s other big tie sees an all-Premiership clash between Spurs and Burnley. Tottenham fans are well used to the roller-coaster ride and had hardly returned to earth after beating Chelsea before suffering a defeat at Crystal Palace. Reports suggest that Harry Kane will not be in the squad on Wednesday while Sean Dyche likes consistency as much as Koeman does at Southampton.
Burnley are a good, honest team and have shown great determination to get points against Man City and Newcastle recently. They thoroughly deserved their win over QPR on Saturday and could be over-priced if Pochettino is too casual about his team selection.
Southampton to win @6-1 32Red & Paddy Power*
*special offer new customers up to a maximum £10
Southampton (-1.0 handicap) @9-4 Coral
Pelle to score and Southampton win @9-4 Ladbrokes
Burnley to beat Tottenham @13-2 Bet365
