Southampton must keep Millwall’s own version of Cyle Larin quiet to seal a win
Southampton head into their Championship clash with Millwall today at 3pm bruised after their EFL Cup ordeal.
Funnily enough, the Saints were on the receiving end of a 4-1 battering mid-week at the hands of Millwall's arch nemesis, West Ham United, with the youthful Hammers side fielded by Nuno Espirito Santo exploiting the home side's defensive frailties all night long.
From Tonda Eckert's point of view, he will be wanting to calm down the disgruntled natives with a win against the Lions, to show that this comprehensive defeat was just a one-off blip.
Alex Neil's men will be wanting to pile on the misery even more, on the contrary, with the Lions yet to lose this season in all competitions, and have only given up one goal from four games.
If any man can breach a strong Lions defence, however, it's Cyle Larin, who you will expect to be reinstated into Eckert's starting XI later on, after he was named on the substitutes bench during that sobering EFL Cup loss.
Larin could be key to picking up a win
Larin has been labelled as the Championship's best striker, according to his own manager, and the 33-year-old has a compelling case stacking up in his favour.
Indeed, the Brampton Bagsman, as he's affectionately known, has powered home three goals this season already, from four starts, with two in two next to his name in the demanding Championship.
If Southampton are to surprise the league leaders and collect a confidence-boosting victory, they will need their star-man to be firing on all cylinders, and he very rarely has a poor outing in-front of goal.
He has 12 Saints goals next to his name in total, with the potent Canadian even scoring against a promotion challenger in Ipswich Town last season, meaning he has what it takes to upset a big dog in the division.
He should also be able to handle himself physically against the imposing units Millwall have at the back, with a combined seven duels won across the games he's scored in this season.
Safe to say, he's not just a nuisance one on one with a goalkeeper, he can also be intimidating in the air.
While Neil and Co. will need to keep the 94-time Canada international quiet in order to gain anything from the away game today, Eckert's hosts also need to ensure they keep this electric Lions attacker under wraps, who is the Lions' very own Larin.
Southampton will also have to thwart Millwall's own Larin
While Larin is believed to be in a league of his own, according to the complimentary German, there are several lethal strikers who ply their trade in the demanding second tier.
Josh Coburn is right up there as being seen as one of the very best in the competitive division for Neil's men, with the ex-Middlesbrough forward two for two this season for the early Championship pacesetters.
He didn't score during Millwall's last Championship win over Norwich City, as the Lions comfortably secured a 3-0 victory, but he still ran the visitors from Norfolk ragged, with four duels won and one of his shots clattered off the crossbar.
With ten goals put away last season, it appears as if Coburn is really coming into his own in the here and now, and if Southampton want to leap off the very foot of the division, they're going to have to silence the in-form 23-year-old.
The 6-foot-4 machine has only ever played against Eckert and Co. once in his career, with the last two meetings last campaign seeing him miss out due to injury.
He did come out on the winning side during that one-off match-up, as Middlesbrough beat Southampton 2-1 in 2023 at the Riverside Stadium.
Hopefully, for the Saints' sake, he doesn't reign supreme again at St. Mary's with another second tier goal confidently put away.
Instead, Larin will be wanting to be the match-winning hero for the bottom-of-the-table hosts, as a fascinating clash between two striker heavyweights kicks off shortly.
