Southampton v Burnley predictions: Expect low-scoring affair at St Mary's

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Southampton v Burnley in the Premier League on Sunday.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Main Event & Premier League, midday Sunday

Best bet

Under 2.5 goals
2pts 8-11 bet365, Betfred

Team news

Southampton
Danny Ings and Theo Walcott are back in training for the Saints and could be involved while Michael Obaefmi, Oriol Romeu and Will Smallbone are all unavailable. James Ward-Prowse should feature after sustaining an ankle injury on international duty.

Burnley
Ashley Barnes, Kevin Long and Robbie Brady are out but Jack Cork and Charlie Taylor could return.

Match preview

Few teams would have welcomed the recent international break more than out-of-sorts Southampton but even after having time to reset, the Saints make little appeal to beat Burnley at St Mary's.

Ralph Hasenhuttl's men impressed in their 3-0 win over Bournemouth in the FA Cup quarter-finals before the World Cup qualifiers began but that was against Championship opposition and their league form has been dire.

Southampton have managed only one win in their last 12 games in the Premier League with that run including their 9-0 mauling by Manchester United in February.

Their only win in that time came against basement boys Sheffield United and they have plummeted down the table.

They now find themselves in a similar situation to opponents Burnley whereby there are worse teams below them who are more likely to be relegated but they have little to play for this term.

And with that in mind, it could pay to back a low-scoring affair on the south coast.

Burnley are renowned for being blunt in attack - they have netted only 22 times in 29 league games this season - and they have not been helped by the absence of forward Ashley Barnes.

And although Southampton have seen two of their main attacking talents back in training this week, Danny Ings and Theo Walcott are far from certain to feature this weekend.

The recent hiatus may help Southampton rediscover some form in the home stretch but with key players potentially missing, they are unlikely to get their highly sought-after win against stubborn Burnley.

Sean Dyche's men lack the incentive to attack this game and will likely stick to their conservative approach with the hope that Chris Wood can nick a goal, so do not expect a humdinger at St Mary's.

Key stat

Four of Burnley's last six matches have featured under 2.5 goals.

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