Prediction League: Away trip to Villa

It may not have been the most exciting of seasons for our saints but the ease with which Southampton now finish in the top 8 is quite an achievement.

This season started with poor home form and a long unbeaten away run. We were a potent counter attacking force so it seemed to make sense. But the draws soon turned to defeats and we once again had to rely on our stellar home record to hang onto the coat tails of the big boys.

After a disappointing draw at Goodison against Everton's B team, Koeman's boys currently sit twelfth in the away league table.

Next up is a guaranteed victory. SURELY!? Villa have lost nine in a row now.

Despite the newfound competence across all levels of our club older fans still remember the good old days where things were a bit rubbish. We were a funny little side on the south coast in our ramshackle stadium. On our day capable of smashing the big boys but all too often useless enough to lose to the very worst of teams.

It's obviously still engrained in our DNA. Draws at home against Villa and Sunderland may have been shocking to outsiders but to the St Mary's faithful it wasn't too surprising. Will we slip to another stupid result today?

To the predictions:

Unlike our saints, Connor and Jake took 3 points away from Goodison. Connor is our league's Leicester. 5 points ahead with 4 to go. Let's hope he doesn't do a Vardy and get himself a multiple game ban for screaming in the face of a referee.

*Latecomers to the league

Lawro: 0-2
"Southampton, who are on course to follow last season's eighth-place finish with something very similar, will be far too strong for them."

Merson: 0-2
"What score do you want? I can't see anything other than a Southampton win."

George: 0-2
"My girlfriend is a Villa fan, so I kinda glad they went down before we played them.. I'd have been in the doghouse if Saints had done it! That said, Villa park is not a nice to be at the moment if you're a player, manager or fan. I hope that Saints don't get distracted by the protests, but I genuinely worry what will happen if we go in front. 0-2, Long to score"

Dan: 0-3
"3-0 to us - confident. Need to get some cohesion ahead of a run in if our season is to mean anything..."

Tommy: 0-8
"8-0 to us. Why? Because it's Villa."

Jake: 0-2
"2-0 Saints. Villa are shot to bits but I think our frustrating finishing means it'll only be a smaller score line despite the domination of play."

Paul: 0-4
"4-0 saints. Because villa really suck."

Connor: 0-2
"Saints to win 2-0 on this occasion. I've a feeling that Saints will score from the penalty spot, too."

Will: 1-3
"Villa are awful, we'll somehow conspire to concede a goal though. It's been 8 games without a clean sheet now"