Southampton return to action after the international break in the Championship this afternoon as they travel away from St. Mary’s to take on Hull City.
Russell Martin’s side are coming into this clash off the back of a 1-1 draw with Rotherham at home in their last league outing, thanks to a stunning equaliser from Jordan Hugill.
The Scottish head coach may look to make changes to his starting XI in order to bounce back and claim all three points today but one player he must stick with is Che Adams.
Southampton had 22 shots and racked up 3.23 xG against Rotherham but failed to secure the win as they only found the back of the net once from those efforts, which puts the attacking players in the spotlight as they were unable to make the most of the chances that fell their way.
What’s the latest on Ross Stewart’s fitness?
The Scotland international has been in first-team training with the Saints in recent weeks as he continues to step up his recovery from the Achilles injury that was suffered at the start of the year during his time with Sunderland.
However, it appears that his involvement against Hull will be limited to a place on the bench, at best, as the club try to ease him into the fold after his move from the Black Cats during the summer window.
This means that Southampton’s alternative striker option is Sekou Mara, who has scored one goal in 28 league appearances since the start of last season.
The French attacker has failed to contribute with a single goal, assist, or ‘big chance’ created, in six Championship clashes so far this term, after one goal in 22 Premier League games during the 2022/23 campaign.
Will Che Adams start against Hull?
With Stewart unlikely to start, Martin must start Adams against the Tigers this afternoon as the talented marksman has the potential to be the match-winner.
The 27-year-old whiz missed one ‘big chance’ against Rotherham but he has also scored three goals and created three ‘big chances’ in five Championship starts this term.
Only Adam Armstrong (seven) has scored more goals for the club this term and these statistics suggest that the Scottish gem does have the quality to make a big impact at this level.
Adams also loves playing against Hull as he boasts a terrific career record against today’s opponents from his time with Birmingham in the second tier.
The £52k-per-week finisher has scored four goals in three matches against the Tigers so far and has not scored more than four against any other team at any level. They are also the only side that the impressive forward has scored four against in fewer than five matches.
Therefore, Adams, who Ralph Hasenhuttl once hailed for his “fantastic” attitude, should retain his place within the starting line-up this afternoon, instead of dropping him in favour of Mara or Stewart, who is lacking match fitness.
The Scotland international has proven himself to be an excellent option at Championship level, in spite of his off-day against Rotherham, and has the potential to add to his superb record against Hull today.
