With European football, a new manager and a competitive squad at their disposal, Southampton fans in The Football Transfer Tavern have every right to be optimistic going into the upcoming season.
In Claude Puel they have an experienced French manager who takes the reigns from Ronald Koeman, who did a good job on the South Coast during his tenure at the club.
And with the season nearing closer and closer, it’s essential that the Premier League’s top sides begin finishing their preparations and ending their pre-season campaigns as strongly as possible.
And next up for the Saints is Spanish outfit Athletic Bilbao, who will prove stern opposition in their final pre-season fixture of the season.
Both sides are expecting to name as strong a lineup as possible and Puel is expected to name an XI that is as close to his starting side as possible with their Premier League curtain raiser against Watford just a week later.
So who is expected to start for the Saints against the Spanish giants? Here’s a Southampton XI who will smash Bilbao on Sunday!
GK: Fraser Forster
Despite the addition of former Crystal Palace man Alex McCarthy this summer, it’s clear that England international Fraser Forster is the best man the Saints have between the sticks.
They’ve got a big friendly coming up against Bilbao, and expect the stronger of the two keepers to play and on this occasion, its Forster.
RB: Cedric Soares
The Portuguese international didn’t feature in the Saints’ 1-1 draw with Espanol, but expect him to be back for the final pre-season friendly against Bilbao.
He’s got bags of experience and will be fit too- he played in every game for Portugal from the quarter final to the final in the Euros, which, of course, Portugal went onto win.
CB: Jose Fonte
Much like Portuguese compatriot Cedric, Fonte was a big part of Portugal’s Euro 2016 adventure out in France this summer.
He came home with a tournament winners medal, and for this reason he should be part of the squad not just for the upcoming friendly, but for the entirety of the season too.
CB: Virgil Van Dijk
Van Dijk, who signed a new six-year contract with the club this summer has to feature in the club’s final pre-season game. He’s expected to partner Jose Fonte at the back for the majority of the season and it makes sense playing their two best centre-backs.
After all, the season isn’t that far away at all.
LB: Matt Targett
Although Ryan Bertrand is Southampton’s number one left-back, easing Targett into the side during pre-season should be a priority for new manager Claude Puel.
Targett is expected to be a big player for the Saints in the near future and starting him against Bilbao makes sense for his future development.
CDM: Oriol Romeu
Romeu scored Southampton’s goal in their last game against Espanol and looked very solid in the middle of the park.
He marshals the defence extremely well and gives good support to the attackers, allowing them to roam forward with a certain amount of freedom.
CDM: Jordy Clasie
“The Dutch Xavi” as he is known has got to be a starter for the upcoming season, starting with the final pre-season game against Bilbao.
He’s got a big point to prove for the Saints in the upcoming season after struggling to make a big impact in the season just gone. It was Koeman who brought him to Southampton after working with him at Feyenoord so he’ll have to prove himself to the new gaffer.
LW: Dusan Tadic
You never quite get the impression that Dusan Tadic has fulfilled his potential since arriving on the south coast in 2014.
Regardless, he plays a big part in a Southampton side that will be looking to get into the Europa League next season. He’s the best option on the left wing and he should start against Bilbao.
CAM: Steve Davis
Single-handedly carried Northern Ireland during their Euro 2016 adventure and showed once again why he can remain as one of Southampton’s most important players.
Expect him to start in a more advanced role for the Saints during this game, where Puel will be trialling one of his best teams in preparation for the new season.
RW: Nathan Redmond
A summer signing from Norwich, expect Nathan Redmond to be one of Southampton’s biggest players in the upcoming season.
He’s been tipped to go onto great things on both the domestic and international scale, and he scored twice in the Saints’ game against Zwolle a couple of weeks ago.
ST: Shane Long
Tough choice out of Long, Austin and Rodriguez but it was the Irishman who carried much of the goalscoring burden last season and he did a good job.
He also played in the Republic of Ireland’s Euro 2016 campaign and out of three, surely he is the player closest to match fitness.
