Southampton are preparing for the first leg of their Championship play-off semi-final against West Brom on Sunday.
The first game of the two-legged affair kicks off at 2:15pm on Sunday, before the two clubs face off again at St Mary’s the following Friday at 8pm.
There were concerns about Southampton‘s form going into the season-defining games, but an impressive 2-1 win over fellow play-off side Leeds United on the final day has given Saints fans cause for optimism.
Southampton manager Russell Martin has seen his side do the double over their semi-final opponents in the league this season, winning 2-1 at home before a solid 2-0 win at The Hawthorns in February.
With that in mind, the Saints should be confident they can get the better of West Brom once more and BBC Radio Solent Sport Editor Adam Blackmore has been talking up Southampton’s chances on the Saints and Sinners podcast.
Adam Blackmore confident Southampton will beat West Brom
The broadcaster who commentates on every Southampton fixture for Radio Solent was speaking to presenter Tom Deacon about the forthcoming play-off fixtures.
Buoyed by the victory over Leeds on Saturday, Blackmore issued his verdict on how Southampton will get on in Sunday’s away leg.
Blackmore said: “I don’t often get those feelings…but I just feel the way they played at Leeds, I feel they’re going to go to West Brom and pick up a two or three goal lead to take into the second leg.
“I just feel that if they can get it right West Brom will struggle to live with them. Having gone to Elland Road, they’re not going to go to The Hawthorns and worry. It was a perfect end to the season.”
Southampton would be thrilled to take such a lead back to the south coast ahead of the home leg and, if Blackmore’s prediction is correct, they would expect to be involved in the Wembley final on 26th May.
Blackmore predicts Southampton to win play-offs
Given the confidence with which he expects Southampton to despatch of West Brom it is perhaps no surprise that Blackmore firmly believes that Martin will guide the team to play-off success.
What may come as a surprise, though, is that he thinks it will be sixth-placed Norwich City that they beat in the final and not Leeds who finished third.
Southampton and West Brom will know the winner of the other semi-final by the time they kick-off their second leg at St Mary’s, with Leeds’ home leg against Norwich a day earlier.
Blackmore cited the fact that Leeds are managed by former Norwich manager Daniel Farke as the reason he feels Norwich will edge the contest, saying: “I think Norwich are going to come back and haunt Daniel Farke. I don’t think Leeds are going to make it.”
He went on to add: “I think Norwich will do them [Leeds], I think Saints will do Norwich in the final.”
Saints fans will certainly hope Blackmore is right, although the fact that Norwich are the only team in the play-offs that Southampton have not beaten could this season be a bad omen if this is the case.