Southampton travel to the Bet365 Stadium on Saturday (12:30 GMT). A positive result is vital to revive their season and end a disappointing run of away games.
The Saints are looking for their first away victory in six games as they go to Staffordshire in 15th place in the standings, five points outside of the top half. That stretch has delivered just two points, with thin margins and lost opportunities sometimes proving costly.
Earlier in the season, Southampton won their first two league games away from home against Charlton and QPR under Tonda Eckert. This weekend, the Saints will try to replicate that early-season form in an effort to turn positive play spells into real rewards.
History, however, presents a stern obstacle. Stoke City FC have won the last two league matches between the teams. A 1-0 victory in April 2024 and a 2-1 success earlier this season. For the first time since the 1967–68 season, Southampton would lose both home and away league games against Stoke in the same season, marking a third straight loss.
Stoke themselves are not without pressure. The hosts are two points outside of the play-off spots in 10th place. They have lost their last three games and four Championship home games. Despite this, Stoke’s main attacking players will represent a threat to the Saints. Especially Sorba Thomas, who has directly contributed to over half of Stoke’s league goals this season.
Resilience and accuracy in the last third will be Southampton FC’s main priorities. A timely lift in points and confidence is needed to end the away drought. This would help Saints gain momentum before the most important stretch of the season.
Despite a challenging site, an early kickoff, and recent history working against them, Southampton travels north determined to turn the momentum around.
