Southampton will be hosting Monaco in a pre-season friendly on Wednesday as they will be looking for their first victory of the summer.
On the other hand, the Ligue 1 side head to St Mary’s having lost just one of their six matches ahead of the new Ligue 1 season.
Having finished in 15th place in the Premier League last season, Southampton fans understandably had their concerns about how their club could fare in the summer transfer window.
However, they have made some notable additions as well as retaining the services of key man James Ward-Prowse, as Ralph Hasenhuttl attempts to move his team back up towards the mid-table spots.
Rangers playmaker Joe Aribo’s signing has been a stand out, but the Saints have every reason to be optimistic about the acquisitions of Romeo Lavia and Gavin Bazunu from Manchester City.
However, as it stands, the changes in personnel have not led to an improvement on the pitch, as Southampton are still seeking their first win of the summer having lost 3-1 to RB Leipzig, which was followed by goalless draw against Austria Klagenfurt and Watford respectively.
Meanwhile, Monaco head coach Philippe Clement has had to watch Aurelien Tchoumanei exit the club as he went to sign for Real Madrid.
However, there is every reason for Clement and Monaco supporters to be optimistic as they look to cement a place in the top three of Ligue 1 and attempt to qualify for the Champions League group stages.
Monaco navigated their first five pre-season matches unbeaten, the last of that run being a 2-2 draw with Inter Milan, and although they went down to a 2-1 defeat against Porto in Portugal on Sunday, Clement will be satisfied with the competitive workout for his players ahead of making the trip to England.
Southampton vs Monaco head to head
The two teams have not previously met in any competition and this will be the first time they meet in a club friendly match.
Southampton latest home form
Southampton have recently failed to keep a good run of form at home, having won just one of their seven most recent matches. They lost 2-1 to Liverpool in their last home game in the Premier League. In their last five matches, they have scored just four goals and conceded 14.
Southampton 1-4 Manchester City 20/03/22
Southampton 0-6 Chelsea 09/04/22
Southampton 1-0 Arsenal 16/04/22
Southampton 1-2 Crystal Palace 30/04/22
Southampton 1-2 Liverpool 17/05/22
Southampton latest away form
Southampton have recently failed to keep a good run of form on the road, having been winless in their 10 most recent matches. They drew 0-0 with Watford in their last away game in a friendly. In their last five matches, they have scored just two goals and conceded 10.
Brentford 3-0 Southampton 07/05/22
Leicester City 4-1 Southampton 22/05/22
RB Leipzig 3-1 Southampton 16/07/22
Austria Klagenfurt 0-0 Southampton 18/07/22
Watford 0-0 Southampton 23/07/22
Monaco latest home form
Monaco have recently been on a good run of form at home, having been unbeaten in their 10 most recent matches. They played out a 2-2 draw with Austria Vienna in their last home game in a friendly. In their last five matches, they have scored 10 goals and conceded five.
Monaco 2-0 Angers 01/05/22
Monaco 4-2 Brest 14/05/22
Monaco 1-0 Cercle Brugge 25/06/22
Monaco 1-1 St. Gallen 29/06/22
Monaco 2-2 Austria Vienna 06/07/22
Monaco latest away form
Monaco lost 2-1 to Porto in their last away game in a friendly. However, they have recently been on a good run of form on the road, as they have been unbeaten in their previous seven matches. In their last five matches, they have scored nine goals and conceded seven.
Lille 1-2 Monaco 06/05/22
Lens 2-2 Monaco 21/05/22
Portimonense 0-2 Monaco 09/07/22
Inter Milan 2-2 Monaco 16/07/22
Porto 2-1 Monaco 23/07/22
Southampton news
Hasenhuttl named just six substitutes for the game against Watford on Saturday, and those who missed out on the starting lineup may come into the squad for this game.
Lyanco could replace either Mohamed Salisu or Jan Bednarek, while Ibrahima Diallo and Oriol Romeu may feature in the centre of midfield.
Monaco news
Monaco head coach Clement may choose to restrict anyone who played 90 minutes against Porto to an appearance off the substitutes’ bench for this contest.
That would see Wissam Ben Yedder, Caio Henrique, Alexander Nubel, Kevin Volland, Axel Disasi Eliot Matazo and Jean Lucas all drop out of the side.
Prediction and Odds
Monaco have performed better during the pre-season and they possess more game under their belt, which makes them the favourites to come out on top on Wednesday.
However, Hasenhuttl’s side will welcome the chance to impress against a bigger club, which leads up to predict a share of the spoils.
Odds: 1 2.26 X 2.05 2 2.15
Probable outcomes
Southampton 0-0 Monaco
Southampton 1-1 Monaco
Southampton 2-2 Monaco
Southampton 0-1 Monaco
Southampton 1-2 Monaco
