Saints boosted by return of 5 players ahead of Town trip
FIVE Southampton stars returned to training this week ahead of tomorrow’s Premier League clash with Huddersfield Town.
The Saints visit the John Smith’s Stadium this weekend looking for back-to-back top-flight wins for the first time since April 2017, whereas David Wagner’s Terriers are aiming to take a first victory in five outings.
There were doubts over Southampton players Mario Lemina (stomach), Ryan Bertrand (back), Michael Obafemi (hamstring)
Nathan Redmond (knock), Jack Stephens (knee) and Cedric Soares (calf) for the clash, but most returned to first-team training this week.
New boss Ralph Hasenhuttl said: “Five players came back and this week we have trained with 23 players.
“It was a little bit too much, but everyone wants to jump on the train as it’s leaving the station.
“It could be a coincidence that everyone is fit again, but we are building something up and everyone wants to be a part of that.”
The boss also said that ex-Juventus midfielder Lemina was ‘not 100 per cent fit’, but suggested the 25-year-old may be “needed” for the trip to West Yorkshire.
On the crucial clash at the foot of the table, the Austrian manager added: “It’s a six-point game.
“I think the win against Arsenal would be really important when we can also get a few points in Huddersfield.
“No one thought that we can take something against Arsenal but against Huddersfield it’s a completely different situation.”
Meanwhile, Southampton leftback Matt Targett is gunning for victory this weekend as the Saints visit Huddersfield Town in the Premier League.
The south coast side can stretch their two-point advantage over Town with victory at the John Smith’s Stadium on Saturday, while handing themselves their first back-to-back wins in the top flight since April 2017 in the process.
Town, on the other hand, will climb above Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side if they take all three points at weekend, and can also end their four-match losing streak.
The 23-year-old Targett is focused on securing a Saints victory in West Yorkshire however, and suggested the fixture is even bigger to Southampton than their 3-2 win over Arsenal last weekend.
The defender told the Daily Echo: “It really is a massive game.
“It’s nice to beat a top club because we haven’t done it in a while, so that is massive for us.
“That shows the mentality of our side, but this week is our six-pointer.
“We need to continue working hard and take on the new challenges.
“If you look at fixtures, we are targeting the next two games.
“We have to take maximum points, so we have to go to Huddersfield and work as hard as we did against Arsenal.”