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Southampton have a fantastic opportunity to conclude their season in style with a visit from bottom-placed Huddersfield on Sunday, although, as Manchester United found out when they were hosted by the Terriers last week, there are never any easy games.
The Saints were brought back down to earth after a solid run of results as they were thumped 3-0 by West Ham last time out – one of their heaviest defeats of 2019 – but they will be counting on getting three points in front of a home crowd this weekend.
With survival already secured, the game means little to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side and most at St Mary’s Stadium will likely be looking ahead to the transfer window, which will give the Austrian boss a chance to revamp his squad ahead of his first full season at the helm.
BBC pundit Mark Lawrenson is clearly intrigued as to how the former RB Leipzig boss is going to tweak his side, as he offered his predictions ahead of the final round of Premier League fixtures:
“Huddersfield are another team saying goodbye to the top flight, and although the Terriers got a good result against Manchester United last weekend, I don’t see then signing off on a high note.
“Southampton can look forward to next season under manager Ralph Hasenhuttl with lots of optimism, and it will be interesting to see who he signs in the summer.”
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The former Liverpool midfielder forecasts a 2-0 win for Saints this weekend and an ‘interesting’ summer transfer window. With the likes of Mohamed Elyounoussi, Shane Long and Charlie Austin – none of whose future’s are certain – on the books, Southampton fans could see a number of familiar faces leave in the coming months and a number of unfamiliar ones through the door.
With the Austrian having already instilled a brilliant team spirit at St Mary’s, Hasenhuttl’s first few additions as Southampton boss could take the team to the next level. If he gets the right players through the door, this season’s relegation battle will be soon forgotten.