The Tigers can move 11 points clear of the Saints with victory on the South Coast
Sergej Jakirovic has missed out on the Manager of the Month crown for the second time (Image: Lindsey Parnaby/Shutterstock)
Sergej Jakirovic says his Hull City players will go to Southampton and fight as hard as possible to keep their unbeaten away run going, despite being without a host of key players.
The Tigers have won three and drawn one of their last four on the road with a 1-0 success at Middlesbrough in their last road trip, but will arrive at St Mary’s without the likes of Ryan Giles, Joe Gelhardt, Darko Gyabi, Semi Ajayi and Mo Belloumi.
Matt Crooks remains a doubt, and so too, John Lundstram, as the Tigers’ injury troubles reach new heights. Southampton are winless in their last six and were thumped 4-0 at Boro before their narrow 3-2 FA Cup win at Doncaster Rovers last weekend.
Despite that, Jakirovic believes the Saints’ performances under Tonda Eckert have been better than their three defeats and draws in those six have suggested, though with all City’s problems, his main focus remains on trying to pick a team capable of getting something from the South Coast.
“All the time they’re playing good on the pitch,” he told Hull Live. “They’re really, really good, but results don’t follow the performances on the pitch, and this was the case when Will Still was in charge and now as well.
“I watched the Middlesbrough game. If you didn’t watch the game, it’s 4-0, Middlesbrough killed them, but when you watch the game, it could be completely opposite, unbelievable.
“Right now I have big worries about my team, not about Southampton, because I know Southampton, how they will play, and also with (Leo) Scienza, with (Finn) Azaz, with (Adam) Armstrong. They are very good players, big threats, but right now it’s most important to me who will play for my team. This is the biggest problem here.
“They are very dominant in possession. I think they are second in the league, so they will have the ball for one hundred per cent of the game, and we will see how we will be without the ball and when we win the ball, what we need to do. We will fight for something.”
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