Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer

New season. New manager. New season. More speculation about their best player.

This seems to be life almost every summer at Southampton as Mauricio Pellegrino replaces the sacked Claude Puel, who seemed harshly dealt with after an eighth-place finish and a Wembley final, while Virgil van Dijk sits on the sidelines declining to figure in pre-season as he craves a £60m move to Liverpool.

Southampton seem to thrive in this environment but surely there will come a time when they cannot pull off this trick of succeeding surrounded by such turbulence.

The Saints will not struggle for a moment but I do not expect them to be as high as in recent seasons. It will be interesting to see how Italian Manolo Gabbiadini fares after an outstanding introduction last term. He will be a crucial figure.

Last season: 8th

Prediction for this season: 14th

Read Phil McNulty's full Premier League preview on our football page.

Image source, Getty Images

So what are we expecting from Southampton and Swansea this season?

We asked our chief football writer Phil McNulty for his opinion.

Some excellent work here from the Southampton media team to get you psyched up for the new season, with this video featuring Saints manager Mauricio Pellegrino. Great stuff.

BBC Sport app users may need to click on the link to watch the video.

A bright day on the south coast, the pitch looks in great shape. Lovely.

As always, you have a role to play today.

We want you to get involved so what do you expect to happen to your team this season? Also, send us your thoughts on this match.

Tweet us using the hashtag #bbcfootball and we will post your messages on this page throughout the afternoon.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Huw Evans picture agency

It is not just Gylfi Sigurdsson who has been interesting other clubs, with Spanish striker Fernando Llorente a target for Chelsea.

Llorente, 32, is currently sidelined with a fractured arm and boss Paul Clement expects him to stay at the club.

"He has got a year to go on his deal and we'd like him to stay for this year and longer," said Clement. "I'm confident he will because of the conversations I've had with Fernando.

"He's happy here, he likes the work we're doing, and he likes the way we play."

Image source, Getty Images

So, no Gylfi Sigurdsson today as he is expected to complete a move to Everton soon.

The Toffees have so far refused to meet the reported £50m asking price for the 27-year-old, although Everton boss Ronald Koeman said a deal "was close".

"Talks are ongoing and I'm speaking to our chairman and owners every day but there is no update," added Swansea boss Paul Clement.

"We're at a critical stage and hope it's going to be resolved as soon as possible. They [the club's owners] understand the pros and cons of doing it earlier rather than later.

"What is going on is not abnormal, you get a lot of situations like this. It has happened in the past when players from here have gone to different clubs. We have a valuation, the other club has a valuation and we have not met. The way it is going there needs to be a compromise on both sides."

So what will happen with Southampton captain Virgil van Dijk, who handed in a transfer request after he saw a potential move to Liverpool fall through?

The 26-year-old Dutch defender will miss out today, with Saints boss Mauricio Pellegrino saying he has "a virus" and the Argentine hopes he can convince Van Dijk to stay at the club.

"We are expecting him to come back to train with us because we need the player," said Pellegrino.

"Hopefully he can change his point of view. The club was clear from the beginning with the player. We cannot control every single situation. Virgil is part of our club. He has a contract but we are now waiting."

Image source, Getty Images

So, let's look at the main talking points from Southampton and Swansea at the moment - the futures of Virgil van Dijk and Gylfi Sigurdsson respectively.

Southampton captain Virgil van Dijk, who handed in a transfer request earlier this month, misses out with what boss Mauricio Pellegrino called "a virus".

Summer signings Mario Lemina and Jan Bednarek are both on the bench in Pellegrino's first competitive game in charge since replacing Claude Puel.

Southampton: Forster, Soares, Yoshida, Bertrand, Stephens, Davis, Tadic, Romeu, Ward-Prowse, Redmond, Gabbiadini. Subs: Taylor, Long, Austin, Lemina, Boufal, Bednarek, McQueen.

Gylfi Sigurdsson has been left out of the Swansea squad amid transfer interest from Everton.

With Fernando Llorente out of action after breaking his arm in a cycling accident while on holiday, England Under-21 striker Tammy Abraham, on loan from Chelsea, starts, but Spanish midfielder Roque Mesa, who joined in an £11m move in the summer, is only a substitute.

Swansea: Fabianski, Olsson, Mawson, Fernandez, Naughton, Britton, Fer, Carroll, Routledge, Ayew, Abraham. Subs: Nordfeldt, Narsingh, Rangel, Bartley, Mesa, Fulton, McBurnie.

Hello and welcome to BBC Sport's live text commentary. I'm Michael Emons and I will be guiding you through all the action from St Mary's as Southampton take on Swansea City.

No better place to start than the team news.

New season, new hope and for Southampton it is also a new manager.

An eighth-placed finish and a Wembley cup final was not enough to save Claude Puel from the axe with the Frenchman replaced by Argentine Mauricio Pellegrino.

Image source, Getty Images

For Swansea, last season was a pretty miserable one with the club floundering under three different managers, before Paul Clement came in to keep them in the top flight.

But the transfer window has not been a good time for either side with both teams potentially losing their best players.

Can either of these teams put their off-field problems behind them and make a winning start to their Premier League campaign today?