Southampton

Were you at St Mary's for this one or were you following along from elsewhere?

Either way, let us know your thoughts on the game here

Mantej Mann, BBC Sport

Southampton began the game like a side that were bereft of confidence after being well-beaten in their opening game at Tottenham last weekend.

They only had 38% possession in the first half as they failed to operate against the Leeds press in the sweltering heat.

Ralph Hasenhuttl is reportedly under pressure to keep his job but his second-half substitutions changed the game as Sekou Mara impressed on debut.

One point from the first two games of the season will not be celebrated on the south coast but the point ends a run of five Premier League defeats and shows Hasenhuttl still has the backing of at least some of his players.

The confirmed Southampton and Leeds team news is now in, with kick-off at St Mary's less than an hour away.

Follow the action, plus the rest of the Saturday's Premier League matches here

BBC pundit Chris Sutton is taking on the challenge from Mark Lawrenson for the 2022-23 campaign and will try to pick the correct scores for every top-flight game against a variety of guests - and this season you can get involved too.

For this weekend's fixtures, he is up against Kasabian frontman and Leicester City fan Serge Pizzorno.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

Leeds got off to a good start by beating Wolves and they are one of my tips for relegation, which means they will probably win this week too.

Southampton got spanked by Tottenham last weekend after taking the lead.

Saints have gone to a back three after using it in pre-season, and although going to Spurs was a very difficult start to the season for them, it is hard to tell how damaging that defeat will be.

Because I've got Leeds going down, they can't keep on winning - I saw the stat on MOTD2 that, if a team takes eight points from their first five games, they have a 96% chance of staying in the Premier League.

So, I am going to go with Southampton to bounce back here - although I'm not entirely sure how they will do it.

Serge's prediction: 0-1

Leeds will snatch this one.

Find out how Sutton and Pizzorno think the rest of the weekend's action will go and vote on the result you expect here

Manager Ralph Hassenhuttl has confirmed Lyanco is Southampton's only new injury concern, joining Tino Livramento on the sidelines.

Leeds could give a debut to Luis Sinisterra following his return from a pre-season hamstring injury.

Captain Liam Cooper and Adam Forshaw are also available.

Junior Firpo and Luke Ayling remain out, while Stuart Dallas has returned to light training but is not yet ready to play.

Who would you pick to replace Lyanco if he is unable to play?

Pick and share your Leeds XI

Southampton's Che Adams is interested in a move to Everton, but there is competition from Leeds United, Wolves and Forest for the Scotland striker, 26. (Mail), external

Want more transfer news? Read Friday's full gossip column

The latest Fantasy 606 podcast has dropped before the gameweek two deadline.

Alistair Bruce-Ball, Chris Sutton and Statman Dave discuss how their first teams of the season got on.

You'll find out whether Clough and Taylor tinkered with their starting XI ahead of the first deadline and they ask whether you should switch onto Erling Haaland this week.

Plus listener Robbo pops by to discuss the changes to the listeners' team and comedian Luke Kempner joins the pod to play a game of Sutton Death.

Listen to Fantasy 606 on BBC Sounds

Image source, Getty Images

Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl says that the Saints want to make Romeo Lavia "a top-class player" after the 18-year-old's impressive Premier League debut against Tottenham.

The midfielder played the full 90 minutes in his first competitive game since arriving from Manchester City for £10.5m.

"We know his qualities but we try and be positive with him, but also critical because we want to make him a top-class player," Hasenhuttl said.

"It is important for those players to not get immediate praise for their OK or good performances, but also be critical with the things he has to make better.

"What I like about these young lads is they seem to be very self-critical and want to learn, and want to have input all the time. This is a very good character I think to get better, because when you think you are a superstar it is hard to make them better."

Southampton have a rich history of developing young talent, with the likes of Theo Walcott, Gareth Bale and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all coming through their youth system.

He added: "Not only the last transfer window but this window we are number one for very talented young players, as they know not only will they get chances to play but we also invest a lot of work in making them better."

Image source, Getty Images

Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl has insisted striker Che Adams will not be leaving the club this summer.

The forward, who scored seven goals in 30 Premier League appearances last season, has been linked with a loan move to Everton

"Definitely nothing serious behind this rumour," Hasenhuttl said.

"We are not in the way where we want to loan players like him to anywhere."

Adams was an unused substitute in Southampton's 4-1 defeat at Tottenham last weekend.

Ralph Hasenhuttl sat down at BBC Radio Solent's Southampton fan forum.

The Saints boss fielded questions and here are some of his answers:

Q: Why did you decide to make changes to the backroom staff?

A: When you are working with the same team of staff for nearly four years I think then the players deserve to get a new voice and a new input. When you do 260 odd meetings, or more, a year with the team it is good when you start a new season to have someone new in your staff group, that gives you a new voice and input for the players. That doesn't mean we have done a bad job as a group in the last four years.

Q: Why was Che Adams left on the bench? I don't feel Adam Armstrong is Premier League proven.

A: We had a pre-season with Adam Armstrong who scored the most goals in pre-season. If you want to work for a club and do well in pre-season I feel you deserve to get a chance to play in the beginning. Joe Aribo also showed he can score goals for me - when you have the two options it was the choice to go with these two guys. In the end it is up to performances.

Q: Why the formation change to 3-5-2 after building for previous three-and-a-half years with 4-4-2?

A: At first it looks a bit passive but it isn't if you do it in a good way. There is also possibilities, as we have shown in pre-season against Monaco, for example, to be offensive and press a team high, to score three goals against a team that was going for Champions League qualification. You cannot forget what we have done with the 4-4-2 but, especially for a new player like Romeo Lavia, it takes a lot of time to learn this ball-orientated defending.

Want to hear more? Listen to the full forum on BBC Sounds

Image source, Getty Images

BBC Radio Solent hosted a fans forum last night and Ralph Hasenhuttl gave his views to the room.

You can listen to the hour here

Southampton: Ray Hunt, In That Number, external

Both Southampton and Leeds have had very similar paths since the Premier League's inception back in 1992. Both have had brief forays in Europe, both have faced relegation to the third tier. They've both gone through upwards of 20 managers. They've faced financial uncertainties and entered administration just two years apart. From re-joining the top flight, their similarities have continued with both Ralph Hasenhuttl and Jesse Marsch amongst the favourites for the first sacking.

However, this is an easy one. Saints have spent a total of 23 seasons in the top flight versus Leeds' 14. It took Leeds 16 seasons to get back, whereas Saints spent a mere seven seasons and enjoyed back-to-back promotions in the process.

While Leeds remained listless in their Championship funk, Saints were relishing successful spells under Mauricio Pochettino and Ronald Koeman, travelling to the San Siro and reaching a League Cup final.

You also have to account for the amount of money spent. Leeds have easily breached the £200m mark while Saints have been nowhere near that, making superstars on a shoestring budget. Leeds are also considered to be in the top half of Premier League wealth, reaching far above Saints. And what do they have to show for it?

Saints have played more, won more, gained more points and scored more goals. The decision is clear.

Leeds: Jess Furness, Her Game Too, external

Ask any non-Leeds or Southampton fan this question and you'll get the same answer - Leeds.

Under David O'Leary and Eddie Gray in 1998-2002, we did not finish outside the top five in the Premier League. We also made it to the semi-finals of the Uefa Cup and Champions League. Can Southampton say that they've ever competed in the Champions League? No.

They spent most of the first ten years of the Premier League fighting relegation. We can't relate. We spent seven of those years in the top five, with our highest finish in third place - something that Southampton have never achieved, with their highest finish being sixth place.

Our overall level of quality in our years spent in the Premier League is also far superior. They might have just finished above us last season but I have no doubt that we will finish far above them this season, thanks to our exciting new signings.

Have your say and check out the rest of this weekend's debates here

Image source, Getty Images

On this day in 2009 Rickie Lambert arrived at Southampton from Bristol Rovers.

He went on to score 117 goals for the Saints, helping them gain promotion from League One to the Premier League in just three seasons.

Lambert scored 28 goals in his first two Premier League seasons, which earned him with an England call-up.

He gained 11 caps and was part of the 2014 Fifa World Cup squad before departing for Liverpool.

• Southampton have won their first home league match in just three of the past 31 seasons. The last team they beat in their first home league game was Leeds in 2011.

• Leeds won three of their past five away league games in 2021-22 (D1 L1), having won just two of their first 14 on the road last term.

• Southampton have lost their previous five Premier League matches, and defeat against Leeds will equal their longest ever losing run in their league history from January/February 2021, when they lost six consecutively.

• Patrick Bamford has scored in each of his last three Premier League appearances against Southampton.

Harry Tizard, The Saints Score, external

After 76 days between the final day of the previous Premier League season and the start of this one, it looks like little has changed for Southampton on the pitch.

Losing 4-1 away from home, mirroring their defeat against Leicester City at the end of May, the same ugly patterns reared their head again.

Like the match against the Foxes, the Saints looked lacklustre defensively, with poor mistakes costing Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side dearly.

Tottenham Hotspur clearly targeted a weakness that had not been solved in pre-season, scoring two similar goals.

Putting in an in-swinging cross from the corner of the box, the assister was given enough time to pick out a free runner inside the area. This was also seen versus Leicester, with James Maddison given space to pick out Ayoze Pérez, who found himself unmarked at the back-post.

Scoring-wise, captain James Ward-Prowse was the man who gave the Saints hope once again. However, Southampton’s struggles to look dangerous in attack continued – having just four shots on target across the two games.

The signings that were brought in to improve the team showed promise, but more are needed if the Saints want to avoid a relegation battle.  

We asked you for your post-match thoughts after Southampton's hefty 4-1 defeat to Tottenham on the opening day of the season.

Here are some of your comments:

Douglas: A dreadful start to the season. Once again our lack of ability to defend is mind blowing. We have gone for youth over experience in the transfer market which will suit the Championship but not this league.

Ian: I said long before the end of last season, Hasenhuttl should go and yesterday was further proof. He doesn't know his best eleven and horses for courses doesn't work in the Premier League. There are too many non-Premier League players in the squad. A long hard season is ahead.

Steve: Well it's early days I know but a defeat to Spurs I'm afraid to say looked on the cards even before we played. That is only because Ralph didn't learn or listen to the whole of last season. There were only three teams in the league that let in more goals than us last season, didn't he learn anything? A decent centre-half is needed very quickly.

Matt: It's like Groundhog Day. We pick up where we left off, struggling at the back and no real threat going forward. We have to spend on a decent proven striker or face the fact that we could quite easily go down this year. I'm very concerned with what the ambition of the club really is.

Mike: Outclassed. I expected a heavy defeat but the manner of this performance was worrying. It's just a continuation of last season. The three debutants did ok but it wasn't good to watch.