Southampton vs Fulham

When European-chasing Fulham visits St Mary's to play already-relegated Southampton in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon, they will try to increase their ambitions of finishing in the top eight.

In the rematch at Craven Cottage four months ago, neither team was able to pull away from a goalless draw.
A point earned in last weekend's 1-1 draw at West Ham United means Southampton, who suffered the earliest relegation in Premier League history two weeks ago, will not set the record for the lowest-ever PL points total. They are now tied with the Derby County team from 2007–08 (11).

Southampton seemed destined for their 27th Premier League loss of the season until Lesley Ugochukwu scored a 93rd-minute equalizer, negating Jarrod Bowen’s opening goal at London Stadium. This secured Southampton’s sixth away point of the campaign, surpassing their five points earned at St Mary’s.

With relegation to the 2025-26 Championship confirmed, Southampton are now playing for pride. They still have a slim chance of avoiding the bottom spot in the Premier League, trailing 19th-placed Leicester City—also relegated—by seven points. The two teams will face off early next month.

Simon Rusk has been interim manager for two matches since Ivan Juric’s exit on April 7, as he was after Russell Martin’s sacking in December. One of those games was a 0-0 draw at Fulham, marking one of Southampton’s only two clean sheets this season.

Southampton have conceded 78 Premier League goals this term, just two shy of their record 80 from 1971-72. They are also at risk of becoming the fourth team in Premier League history to lose 14 or more home games in a season, following Sunderland (2002-03, 2005-06), Huddersfield Town (2018-19), and Watford (2021-22).

Fulham’s hopes for European qualification have dimmed recently, with four losses in their last six Premier League matches, including 1-0 and 2-1 defeats to Bournemouth and Chelsea, respectively. In their latest West London derby against Chelsea, Fulham squandered a one-goal lead, conceding in the 83rd and 93rd minutes to suffer their 11th league defeat of the season.

Marco Silva admitted Fulham’s defeat was "very harsh" but conceded that his team paid the price for a disappointing second-half display. The loss leaves them ninth in the Premier League, still just one point behind eighth-placed Bournemouth and nine adrift of the top seven with only five matches remaining.

Despite the setback, Fulham remain in contention for a spot in next season’s Conference League. They face Southampton on Saturday, having won two of their last three league meetings with the Saints—matching their total from the previous 11 encounters (D5 L4).