Match Pack: Lincoln vs Saints
Southampton travel to Lincoln City on Saturday for the first league meeting between the two sides since 1961. Get set for the clash with our Match Pack...
THE MATCH
Lincoln City vs Saints
Sky Bet Championship
ProAmpac Stadium
Saturday 5th September, 12.30pm BST
THE OFFICIALS
Referee: Andrew Kitchen
Assistant Referees: Darren Williams and Callum Gough
Fourth Official: Ben Toner
THE KITS
Saints will be debuting their third kit for the first time in competitive action, made up of ivory shirts, shorts and socks with red detailing. The hosts will be in their traditional red and white striped shirt, black shorts and red socks.
LIVE COVERAGE
Saturday's clash will be available worldwide on Saints Play except for the UK and the Nordic regions. The game will also be live on Sky Sports+ for UK subscription holders.
Supporters can claim an annual or a matchday pass using the link below:
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
With a week on the road ending in Lincolnshire, Saints will want to build on Tuesday night's battling draw in Birmingham to extend their unbeaten run in the league to three.
Tonda Eckert's side have moved into positive points after starting the season on minus four, moving up to 18th in the table on three points.
Saturday's opponents sit just a point and one spot ahead, having made a solid enough start to life in the second tier after promotion from League One.
Former Men's First Team Coach Chris Cohen is in joint-charge of the Imps and will be in the dugout for the first league meeting between the two teams since the 1960s.
TEAM NEWS
Lincoln: The Imps bolstered their ranks on deadline day with right-back Daniel Oyegoke and winger Chieo Ogbene, both of which could make their debuts.
Elsewhere, striker Ben House could return having missed the midweek clash with Blackburn, while Tom Hamer and Sonny Bradley are likely to miss out. Defender Tendayi Darikwa is out for the season with a serious knee injury.
Saints: Deadline day signing Zach Abbott will be involved for the first time since joining on a season-long loan from Nottingham Forest, with Tonda Eckert confirming the defender will be part of the matchday squad.
Elsewhere, Caspar Jander remains the only injured absentee, with the German suffering a setback on his return from injury that will rule him out for the next couple of matches.
THE MANAGERS
Chris Cohen: "I'm sure we’ll create an atmospgere that gives us an opportunity to put a performance in that fans can be proud of, and that will be our job to try and make it happen."
Tonda Eckert: “They had two clean sheets in a row now so they're a team that definitely knows how to defend and they're always dangerous.
"They can go long to the striker, can go in transition moments, and I think they'll play for a lot of territory tomorrow and make sure all of the balls are going to come into the box. Our job is to make sure we keep the ball on the ground as much as possible and to show the levels we’re at and we need to make sure that we take three points home with us."
ONES TO WATCH
Ben House: Inline to make a return to the fold, House's return would provide a welcome boost to the hosts.
Netting the winner against Derby in the first round of the Carabao Cup, the former Eastleigh striker repeated the feat at Bolton last weekend to secure their first league win of the season.
Leo Scienza: The Brazilian has two goals and two assists from his last two outings, including setting up Keven Schlotterbeck at Birmingham on Tuesday night.
Starting every match so far this season, Scienza will want to continue his red-hot form in the lunchtime kick off this weekend.
TOP PERFORMERS
Lincoln
Goals:
House 2
Seven players 1
Assists:
Elder 2
Five players 1
Saints
Goals:
Larin 5
Scienza 2
Six players 1
Assists:
Azaz 4
Manning, Scienza 2
Downes, Bragg, Edozie 1
FORM GUIDE
Saints
Birmingham (a) SBC: D 1-1 (Schlotterbeck)
Millwall (h) SBC: W 5-1 (Larin 2, Azaz, Scienza, Fellows)
West Ham (h) CC2: L 1-4 (Scienza)
Stoke (h) SBC: W 3-1 (Larin, Mubama, Manning pen)
Watford (a) SBC: L 1-2 (Larin)
Lincoln
Blackburn (h) SBC: D 0-0
Bolton (a) SBC: W 1-0 (House)
Blackpool (a) CC2: W 4-1 (Olaofe, Bayliss, Street, Elder)
Portsmouth (h) SBC: L 1-3 (Hackett-Fairchild)
Middlesbrough (a) SBC: L 1-2 (Reach)
HEAD TO HEAD
Played: 17
Lincoln wins: 2
Draws: 5
Saints wins: 10
LAST FIVE MEETINGS
Dec 2022: Saints 2-1 Lincoln League Cupfourth round (Adams 2)
Nov 1996: Lincoln 3-1 League Cup third round replay (Berkovic, Magilton, Watson)
Oct 1996: Saints 2-2 Lincoln League Cup third round (Le Tissier, Van Gobbel)
Oct 1988: Saints 3-1 Lincoln League Cup second round second leg (Baker 2, Ro. Wallace)
Sep 1988: Lincoln 1-1 Saints League Cup second round first leg (Rideout)
KEEP UP TO DATE
Not with us in Lincolnshire? Download the official Saints app to follow live in-match updates and follow us on social media for further updates and exclusive content:
