Southampton FC are set to face FC Augsburg in their next pre-season match and everybody will be keen to impress Mauricio Pellegrino before the season commences. Here are a few players who I think we should look out for.
It became evident in Southampton’s 3-0 win over Saint-Étienne over the weekend that Matt Targett is looking to start games this season. The 21-year-old had a great performance on Saturday, bagging two assists after coming on for the yellow-carded Ryan Bertrand, and giving the gaffer something to think about with just two weeks before the start of the new Premier League season. Fullbacks look to be utilised as much in attack as in defence, which no doubt is part of Pellegrino’s plans and is a tactic that is being refined in training. With the confidence he’ll have off the back of his last performance, I think Matt Tagett will shine again against FC Augsburg and will be one to watch as we get closer to the start of the season.
Moroccan international Sofiane Boufal has been in a good form in his last few matches. Despite not being in the goals or assists all too much, his contribution to the overall fluidity of the games has not gone unnoticed. His combination of pace and fantastic technical ability has seen him leave multiple defenders for dead, creating dangerous attacking opportunities for Southampton. There’s no doubt that Sofiane Boufal will be looking to get among the goals next match to further impress Mauricio Pellegrino.
Lastly, Manolo Gabbiadini was highly impressive in the previous match, netting a beautifully-guided header that gave Southampton the lead in a game that could’ve swung either way at the time. No doubt will Gabbiadini be high in confidence after getting on the scoresheet, and it will be exciting to see him compete with a fully-fit Charlie Austin as the new season approaches. I would expect him to continue his fine form against FC Augsburg, hopefully scoring a handful of goals in the process.
