Southampton v Birmingham: 9 Players, Including £7m Striker Downs, to Miss Match
Southampton will meet Birmingham City at St Mary’s Stadium on Saturday. Caretaker manager Tonda Eckert aims to recover from a 3-2 defeat against Millwall. Before that loss, Eckert enjoyed a successful start, winning his first four matches since taking over from Will Still. Despite his promising run, he now faces a challenging match against Birmingham, who are in good form, with four wins in their last six games.
Injury Concerns Ahead of Southampton vs Birmingham
As Southampton prepares for the clash, they will be without nine key players due to various injuries. This list includes:
- Mads Roerslev: The Danish right-back is still recovering from a knee injury sustained against Sheffield Wednesday last month. He has made nine appearances in the Championship this season.
- Elias Jelert: Another right-sided player, Jelert is out after suffering a quad injury while on loan from Galatasaray. He has participated in only three league matches so far.
- Shea Charles: The midfielder is expected back in first-team training soon but will miss this match due to a previous hamstring injury.
- Ross Stewart: The Scottish striker is likely to be sidelined until the New Year due to a tendon-related hamstring injury.
- Damion Downs: The £7 million summer signing from FC Köln is not fully fit and will miss the match, having yet to score for Southampton.
Birmingham City Injury Updates
Birmingham, on the other hand, will also be missing several players. Key injuries include:
- Lee Buchanan: The left-back is recovering from a knee injury sustained last December, targeting a return in January.
- Ethan Laird: The right-back, who injured his hamstring in September, is not expected to return until February.
- Scott Wright: Approaching the end of a nine-month ACL recovery, Wright remains unavailable for this match but is hopeful for a return soon.
- Willum Thor Willumsson: The Icelandic midfielder has not played since August and is also unavailable due to an injury that has not been fully disclosed.
The matchup on Saturday at St Mary’s will test both teams, particularly Southampton as they manage their injury list. With Birmingham’s recent performance and Southampton facing challenges with player availability, this match is critical for both sides as they look to improve their standings in the league.
