Southampton – Derby County

The visitors will give the match favorites a tough fight and won't let them score much.

If the football club Southampton had played the entire season the way it has been doing since mid-January this year, it would have long secured the final first place in the Championship, not noticing Coventry City on its way. However, the Saints began to dominate most opponents in the league precisely from that period, which, with six games to go, allows them to boldly contend for a place in the play-offs. The significant improvement in Southampton's play is attributed to the young specialist Tonda Eckert, who had never previously headed professional clubs. Before obtaining his first full-time managerial appointment, the 33-year-old German worked as an assistant to many well-known coaches in Austria, Germany, and Italy, and also earned a PRO coaching license. From November to December Eckert proved himself in the role of interim manager of Southampton, after which he was given full authority within the Saints' camp. The team's form is currently at its peak, as evidenced by a sensational FA Cup quarter-final victory over Arsenal in the first game of April. Hard to believe, but the Championship side, under a manager with less than six months in charge, knocked out one of the world's best and most expensive teams led by Mikel Arteta. Just three days after that, Southampton crushed their direct rival in the race for a place in the Championship play-offs, Wrexham, at their stadium, by scoring five goals. The Saints' winning run stands at five official matches, and their unbeaten streak has reached sixteen games. Formally, Derby County can also be considered a rival to Southampton. Having played one more game, the Rams are three points behind their upcoming opponent. A defeat at St Mary's will end the visitors' bid for a top-6 place. However, it's unlikely that Derby County players will travel to the match already defeated. Despite the home team's fiery form, they face a high risk of getting carried away after these results. In turn, the Rams know how to play against Southampton, who, in the first round at Southampton's stadium, earned a point (1-1). Surely, the upcoming match will feature a lot of combat and few goals.