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Saints At Norwich City The Preview

Saints make history tonight as they play their first ever match behind closed doors, the task is simple get the win that would take them within a whisker of safety.

I have covered just what Saints need to do in several other of the build up articles so I am not going to go on too much about it here, quite simply they have to concentrate for the whole 90 minutes and more and cut out the defensive lapses and individual errors that see us still with an eye over our shoulder rather than looking up.

This is truly a game that is hard to predict, usually for even the opening game of the season we have seen the team in action in a number of pre season friendlies, but now we restart and haven't really got a clue what has been going on behind closed doors.

Ralph Hasenhuttl has several dilemmas going into the game, the first is at right back, truth is we don't have a clue who will start there, it could be Yan Valery, it could be James Ward Prowse, it could even be Kevin Danso, we don't even know whether it could be Kyle Walker Peters with little being said about whether we will extend his loan.

Personally I would go for the square peg in square hole option and that means Yan Valery.

In the centre of defence I think Jack Stephens Partnering Jan Bednarek is the best option with Jannik Vestergaard not looking convincing in the one friendly game.

In midfield the manager has one big decision to make, having already stripped Pierre Emile Hojbjerg of the captaincy he now has to decide whether he goes a step further and drops him from the team.

This is very difficult for me to give any sort of indication without any knowledge of the situation that has developed and whether there is any rift between club and player, if there isn't then I would be tempted to start PEH, in truth he has been a good player this season and his attitude has always been right, I do not blame him for wanting to go to a so called bigger club and I think from this perspective he could be trusted to go out there and put in a shift.

If that is the case I would play JWp alongside him with Nathan Redmond and Stuart Armstrong on the flanks.

Up front it has to be Danny Ings and I have an inkling that he will be partnered by MIchael Obafemi to add pace, although a little part of me thinks that Obafemi could start from the bench and Che Adams start.

The only certainty not to play is Moussa Djenepo who is suspended, with Shane Long being reported as doubtful, although I do think he will make the bench.

So back to action and the truth is if we can cut out the errors then we can win the game, if not it is just a question as to whether they take their chances or squander them, that was the case in most of the games we get points out of, it's whether the luck is with us or against us.

Certainly we are better suited to playing away, we can sit deep and go on the break, from this perspective Norwich away looking at the form book is the most likely one we would win, we have to make sure the form book is right.

So last chance saloon for Norwich and perhaps the first of several they now have, what they do know is that if they lose this one then their position is desperate, to even reach 37 points they would have to win 6 of the last 8 games, anything less than a win is not enough.

We win this and we are on 37 and safety is in sight and the pressure on those below us, the big question is can we stop shooting ourselves in the foot.

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