Preview: Southampton vs Stoke

Southampton will be looking to continue their unbeaten record as Stoke make the trip down to the South Coast.

Ronald Koeman's Saints side are sitting pretty up in third in the league standing and are coming off a crushing 8-0 demolition of Sunderland, who were victors against Stoke just three weeks ago.

Despite that loss, Stoke look to be in decent shape in preparation for their Saints clash following their convincing win over a strong Swansea side. Stoke have also claimed an early season scalp, beating title holders Manchester City at the Etihad. <!-- ######## START FLOATED VIDEO SNIPPET ######## -->

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Koeman would have had his sights set on Stoke for weeks, as Southampton are to face Stoke again on Wednesday when they travel to the Britannia Stadium in the Capital One Cup.

Much like Sunderland, Stoke are a bit of a bogey side for Southampton. The Hampshire and Staffordshire clubs haven't been able to get one over the other since Saints' rapid ascent up the leagues back into the Premier League: all four of their fixtures have ended in stalemate.

There are no new injury concerns for Southampton as James Ward-Prowse, Jay Rodriguez and Sam Gallagher continue to battle for fitness. Stoke, on the other hand, have midfielder Glenn Whelan sidelined with a broken leg.

Mark Hughes used to don the red and white stripes of Southampton as his playing days came to an end and will be looking to get the better of his former club come Saturday as Stoke aim to solidify their status as a top ten Premier League outfit.

Prediction: Southampton 2-1 Stoke