Southampton v Fulham: Hosts to squeeze life out of Jol’s revival

Fulham have turned the tide in recent fixtures by collecting six potentially job-saving points for their manager Martin Jol. However, up next are a Southampton side ready to flood Fulham’s cottage-shaped sandcastle again.

Southampton’s metamorphosis from 12 months back is astounding.

Where the Saints’ colander-like defence were busy setting records for conceding in October of 2012, their new submarine-standard back-line is now the meanest in the top-flight, having seeped just three times in eight games.

This is something the last two league visitors to St Mary’s can definitely attest too, with Swansea and Crystal Palace both leaving the south coast as 2-0 losers.

So, as we’ve already touched upon on this site, another Southampton win to nil at 31/10 looks a very plausible outcome and a potentially profitable one too.

Running with this theme and providing a decent cover bet, it would be wise to opt for 8/13 on the straight-up home win into any potential punting strategy to do with this match, while it also make a tempting accumulator price.

In pairing together new signing Dejan Lovren and Jose Fonte in front of Polish international goalkeeper Artur Boruc, Saints’ boss Mauricio Pochettino has unearthed a particularly steadfast heart of his defence.

And while Fulham’s recent resurgence means they shouldn’t be ignored, it’s important to look at the back-peddling form of the opposition against whom they were secured, in Stoke and Crystal Palace.

Furthermore, on the road, Fulham have only gleaned points against the bottom two, while losing to nil against both Chelsea an Newcastle, which underpins the slightly superficial nature of their recent recovery.

The coupled correct score bet of 1-0/2-0 to Southampton at 27/10 gets ‘Don’ status here.

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