- Saints have won three, drawn one and lost one of their last five U21 Premier League games.
- Saints won the reverse fixture 3-0 in the 2024/2025 campaign.
- Stoke have lost four and won just one of their last five U21 Premier League matches.
Saints can overpower Stoke in PL2 clash
Southampton U21 can take the three points from Sunday’s Premier League 2 clash at Stoke City U21 if the visitors can play as well as they have done in recent weeks.
Matthew Paterson has installed a distinct approach in his side that mirrors the possession-based philosophy of the Saints' first team. The Saints play with a structure and purpose, passing out from the back, playing wide triangles and pressing triggers to get into the correct areas of the pitch to control the tempo of the game.
Stoke City U21, on the other hand, are a pragmatically inclined side that will sit deep and look to hit their direct players in transition when they get the chance. Darren Potter’s side have been solid defensively at times this season and can be explosive when they hit the front, but they are in danger of dropping out of Premier League 2 as they sit 21st, with 22 points from 18 games.
Saints have an impressive record against the Potters
Stoke’s form is poor coming into this game with four defeats and one win in their last five. Their only win in that run was a 3-2 home victory over Fulham Academy, but Potter’s men were destroyed 6-1 at Middlesbrough Academy last time out. The Potters’ home form this season reads three wins, one draw and four defeats from eight and they have averaged 1.62 goals per game on home soil.
Southampton U21, by contrast, are sixth in the table with 36 points from 19 and have won three of their last five, including impressive wins over Leeds United Academy and Nottingham Forest Academy. The reverse fixture in the 2024/2025 Premier League 2 season saw the Southampton lads win 3-0 away from home and they should again have the quality to win this one.
Expect an end-to-end game with both sides scoring
A fixture between two Premier League clubs in the PL2 is usually a tale of two sides who don’t hold the same youth rivalry as they do at senior level. However, this game is a classic clash of styles with Stoke looking to counter-attack and Saints looking to dominate possession. That could lead to an open game and both teams to score at 11/25 and over 2.5 goals at 33/100 look too low, although our main selection is Southampton to win at 23/50.
Saints won the last meeting between the clubs’ U21 sides, a 3-0 success in the corresponding fixture last season. As the clear form team, the league position favourites and with the advantage in the head-to-head record, the visitors are taken to secure all three points on Sunday.
Jerome Kyremeh has been Stoke’s most dangerous player in recent matches, scoring three of their last eight goals, while Nicholas Oyekunle leads the line for the visiting Saints and has notched three of their last nine.
