Preview: Southampton vs. Rotherham United - prediction, team news, lineups

Back-to-back three-point hauls have seen the hosts climb back up to 10th spot in the Championship table after 10 games, while the visitors find themselves 23rd and already four points adrift of safety.

Match preview

After their relegation from the Premier League last season and the appointment of Russell Martin as their new manager over the summer, Southampton have certainly experienced a mixed start to their first second-tier campaign since 2011-12, as they look to immediately bounce back to England's top flight.

The Saints began with three victories and a draw from their opening four league games but would suffer a first defeat in concerning fashion before the international break at the beginning of September, as they were thrashed 5-0 away at Sunderland, with the run then extended to four straight Championship defeats on their return to action.

Martin's men were beaten 4-1 at home to fellow relegated side Leicester City in their first game back last month and went on to suffer further defeats at the hands of Ipswich Town and strugglers Middlesbrough, sitting on just 10 points from eight games as a result, but the Hampshire side do appear to have rediscovered their form in the last week and head into the weekend on the back of consecutive three-point hauls, firstly ending their slump with an impressive 3-1 victory at home to Leeds United.

They led 3-0 at the interval in that meeting of relegated teams, thanks to Adam Armstrong's brace and a Will Smallbone goal, and after holding on for all three points following Pascal Struijk's 58th-minute goal, they followed it up with another important triumph away at Stoke City on Tuesday, with Stuart Armstrong netting the only goal of the game from a free kick late in the first half.

Having quickly climbed back up to 10th spot and moved onto 16 points with those results, the Saints will know that they can rejoin the leading pack if they are able to build another positive run in the coming weeks and will now aim to make it three three-point hauls on the bounce on Saturday to further improve their standing.

They meet a Rotherham United side who are desperate for a victory for different reasons, having endured a particularly difficult start to the season under Matt Taylor's management in their bid to again avoid relegation to League One this time around.

In their 10 Championship games thus far, the Millers have managed just five points and suffered seven defeats, having conceded a league-joint-high tally of 21 goals in that time while only scoring nine at the other end.

Their lone victory came at home to Norwich City in the final game prior to the international break, but they have been unable to build on that result since returning to action, adding just one more point to their tally in the last five outings, firstly suffering 2-0 and 3-0 defeats to Huddersfield Town and Millwall respectively before taking a creditable point from a 1-1 draw at home to Preston North End, who led the division before the contest.

Taylor's men then faced a trip to an in-form Cardiff City side last weekend and came away empty-handed from a 2-0 defeat, with Kion Etete and Perry Ng on the scoresheet for the hosts, before they most recently hosted Bristol City on Wednesday and were denied a share of the spoils in agonising fashion, having initially gone behind 10 minutes from time before Tyler Blackett levelled the scores at a goal apiece in the 87th minute, only for Tommy Conway to restore their visitors' lead and snatch all three points deep into injury time.

With pressure now growing around the New York Stadium as the Millers sit 23rd, three points behind Queens Park Rangers and four adrift of safety, Rotherham will fight for a second win of the campaign to ensure they keep pace at this early stage in the fight for Championship survival.

Southampton Championship form:

L

L

L

L

W

W

Rotherham United Championship form:

W

L

L

D

L

L

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Team News

Russell Martin may opt to deploy an unchanged Southampton starting XI on Saturday following their midweek triumph away at Stoke, with Jack Stephens and summer signing Ross Stewart remaining confined to the treatment room.

In the absence of Stephens, Kyle Walker-Peters, Jan Bednarek, Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Ryan Manning are bound to line up in an unchanged back four after Tuesday's clean sheet, while Stuart Armstrong, Flynn Downes and Will Smallbone will all fight to keep their places in midfield amidst competition from summer signings Joe Aribo and Shea Charles.

In their 4-3-3 shape, Adam Armstrong will continue to play a starring role in attack having already notched up seven league goals this term, and Che Adams will fight to come back in and lead the line after being an unused substitute against Stoke, with Ryan Fraser, Samuel Edozie and Sekou Mara also vying for starting berths after Carlos Alcaraz and Kamaldeen Sulemana completed the front three last time out.

Rotherham United continue to be badly affected by injuries, albeit with Cafu, Lee Peltier and Grant Hall having all returned to contention recently, as defenders Sean Morrison and Cameron Humphreys remain sidelined alongside Jamie Lindsay, while key centre-back Tyler Blackett is a new expected absentee after being forced off in the dying minutes of their clash with Bristol City.

Hall will likely take his place in the middle of the back four alongside Peltier, while Dexter Lembikisa and Cohen Bramall will again complete the defence in right and left-back roles respectively.

Cafu quickly returned to the starting XI on Wednesday and joined Oliver Rathbone and Christ Tiehi in the engine room, reducing Sam Clucas to a substitute appearance as a result, and he will push to come back in from the outset while Jordan Hugill is bound to again lead the line with support from wingers Fred Onyedinma and Andre Green.

Southampton possible starting lineup:

Bazunu; Walker-Peters, Bednarek, Harwood-Bellis, Manning; S Armstrong, Smallbone, Downes; A Armstrong, Adams, Sulemana

Rotherham United possible starting lineup:

Johansson; Lembikisa, Peltier, Hall, Bramall; Rathbone, Tiehi, Cafu; Green, Hugill, Onyedinma

We say: Southampton 3-0 Rotherham United

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