TEAM NEWS
Sunderland's Steven Fletcher is a doubt with an ankle injury that saw him miss last weekend's draw with Stoke.
Sebastian Larsson is available again after suspension and Adam Johnson is also named in the squad.
Southampton's Morgan Schneiderlin will miss the rest of the seasonbecause of a knee injury.
Fellow midfielder Dusan Tadic is also out with a groin problem but Victor Wanyama is available again following suspension.
MATCH PREVIEW
Some supporters are witnessing their team's season petering out to a tame conclusion, but Sunderland fans would be delighted for the opportunity for a completely pressure-free mid-table finish.
Since their promotion in 2007, the Black Cats have spent most of the subsequent eight years flirting with relegation, with last season's late turnaround their most dramatic escape so far.
Dick Advocaat became their seventh full-time manager since winning the Championship and has inherited a similar fire-fighting brief to most of his predecessors.
However, despite picking up four points from his first four matches in charge, he has still seen his side slip into the relegation zone for only the second time this season.
Lawro's prediction |
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"The Black Cats badly need a win here, but I don't think they will get it. Southampton's recent form has been patchy but they remain hard to beat."
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Hull City's midweek win against Liverpool has exacerbated their predicament, with Advocaat stating that at least six further points will be required to maintain their top-flight status.
The question on all Sunderland supporters' lips is just where those precious points are going to come from?
While their home game with Leicester in two weeks seems pivotal, their other four opponents are in the top half of the table, and three of those they face away (Everton, Arsenal and Chelsea).
The other, Southampton, will have viewed the result at the KC Stadium very differently to Sunderland, as it has enhanced their opportunity to secure European football next season and complete a record-breaking campaign in style.
The Saints will arrive at the Stadium of Light having not lost a league game there since 1999, and protecting the best defensive record in the division against a side who have netted the joint-lowest number of goals.
Their 8-0 humiliation of Sunderland at St Mary's in October was the clearest portent for the Black Cats' latest season of struggle; if Sunderland can achieve a positive result, they will view it as significantly more than just revenge.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
- Saints won the reverse fixture 8-0 in October, their biggest margin of victory in a league match since 1921. It was Sunderland's biggest league defeat since 1982.
- The teams met three times at the Stadium of Light last season - Sunderland won in the FA Cup and the Capital One Cup, and the teams drew 2-2 in the league.
- However, Southampton are unbeaten in their last six league visits to the Stadium of Light (W1, D5).
Sunderland
- Sunderland have won just one of their last 10 Premier League matches (W1, D4, L5), scoring a mere five goals.
- Only Aston Villa have earned fewer points at home than Sunderland's tally of 16. The Wearsiders have conceded a joint-high 26 goals at home.
- They have scored five own goals this season, the joint-highest total in the Premier League. Three of those came against Southampton in October.
- The Black Cats have 30 points after 33 league matches this season, four more than at this stage last season. They took 12 points from their final five matches in 2013-14 to avoid relegation.
Southampton
- Southampton have lost three of their last four away matches.
- Saints now have 57 points, already their best-ever Premier League haul with four games still to play.
- They have conceded just 26 goals this season, the lowest total in the Premier League.
- Only one of Graziano Pelle's 11 league goals this season has been scored away from home. That was his first league goal, at West Ham in August.
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