Image source, PA Media

Kyle Walker-Peters is on the end of a lunge from young Noah Mawene after just 44 seconds and he goes into the book.

Not what you want inside a minute of just your second Championship start at St Mary's of all places.

The Saints man is ok to continue, thankfully...

Off we go...

The time for talking is over... it's time for action. Can Southampton haul themselves within five points of the automatic promotion places or will Preston boost their own slim play-off hopes?

Let's find out, shall we?

• Southampton have won just two of their previous 10 league games against Preston (D5 L3) and have conceded 2+ goals in four of their last six matches including in the reverse fixture in October (2-2).
• Preston have lost just one of their four away league games against Southampton this century (W1 D2). With that defeat coming on their last visit to St Mary’s Stadium in February 2009 (3-1), the Lilywhites will be looking to avoid successive away head-to-head losses to the Saints for the first time since November 1965.
• Southampton have won three of their last four home league games played in midweek (Tues, Weds, Thurs – L1), as many as they managed across their prior 16 such matches combined.
• Preston North End have failed to score in each of their last two away league games (D1 L1) and could go three league matches on the road without scoring for the first time since March 2023.
• All eight of Preston’s away goals in the Championship in 2024 have come in the first half of matches; in second halves, they have had just 22 shots in their eight away league games this calendar year (2.8 per second half).

Ryan Lowe has shuffled his pack with Emil Riis recalled in place of 13-goal leading scorer Will Keane in attack and Noah Mawene preferred to club captain Alan Browne who is not 100% fit in midfield and handed his second Lilywhites start.

Preston XI: Woodman, Storey, Lindsay, Hughes, Holmes, Whatmough, Mawene, Brady, Frokjaer, Osmajic, Riis.

Subs: Cornell, Seary, Best, Cunningham, Ledson, Browne, Keane, Stewart, Evans.

Four changes for Russell Martin as Saints seek a third straight home win to keep their automatic promotion hopes alive.

Jan Bednarek returns at the back with Ryan Manning and Stuart Armstrong also handed starts in what looks an attacking line-up.

James Bree, Jack Stephens and Will Smallbone drop to the Saints bench.

The fourth change was forced on Martin during the warm-up as Gavin Bazunu picked up a knock and Alex McCarthy will start in goal for the hosts - his only previous action this season was a 3-1 EFL Cup defeat to League Two Gillingham.

Southampton XI: McCarthy; Walker-Peters, Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Manning, Downes, Aribo, S. Armstrong, Brooks, Adams, A. Armstrong.

Subs: Lumley, Bree, Stephens, Smallbone, Charles, Rothwell, Edozie, Fraser, Kamaldeen.

Image source, Rex Features

One player not in the mix for Saints tonight is Sekou Mara, who was handed a three-game ban by the FA this afternoon.

The Frenchman admitted a violent conduct charge after an off-the-ball altercation with Ryan Porteous in the closing stages of Saturday’s match against Watford, which was not seen by the officials at the time.

Mara will miss matches against Cardiff and Leicester, in addition to tonight, but will be available for the final week games at home to Stoke and the trip to Leeds.

He has started just three games all season and played just 45 minutes across the last eight Championship games, coming off the bench six times and twice being an unused sub.

It's been 256 days since the Championship season began with Southampton grabbing a late winner at Sheffield Wednesday.

In 18 days time it will all be over, and we'll know which two sides will earn automatic promotion and which four will be left to endure the nerve-shredding rigmarole of trying to go up via the play-offs.

Which two of the top four sides are you picking to return to the Premier League, whether it is after a one-year hiatus, or in the case of Ipswich, 20-plus?

Let us know your predictions and reasoning and we'll publish the best ones right here...

Image source, Getty Images

Russell Martin says his players need the fans' support "now more than ever," as they continue to push for promotion to the Premier League.

It is a four-horse race for the two automatic spots that are currently occupied by leaders Ipswich on 89 points and Leicester with 88.

Southampton are seven points behind the Foxes with a game in hand and need six points to catch third place Leeds, who have played two more games at this stage.

If that's not enough, Saints face trips to Leicester and Leeds in their final three games of the season.

Flynn Downes' goal in the final seconds gave Martin's side a dramatic victory 3-2 over Watford on Saturday as Leeds suffered their first home defeat of the season.

"This team never gives up," said Martin. "They are fighting hard for each other and we are going to need that.

"The fans have been incredible. I love the connection between the fans and the team.

"Now more than ever those players need the supporters and that is through the good and tough moments because it is going to be huge."

Preston technically remain in the play-off race, though their slim hopes might be all but over come 22:00 BST.

The Lilywhites lie 10th, eight points behind Norwich in the final play-off berth with a vastly inferior goal difference and one game in hand, which is tonight.

Saturday's 1-0 home defeat to the Canaries means failure to win tonight would leave them needing to win all three remaining games and hope a multitude of other results go their way in the final fortnight of the season.

They do have the fifth best defensive record on the road - conceding only one in their last five away games - but only five teams have scored fewer than their 21 goals away from Deepdale this season.

One reason for optimism for Ryan Lowe’s men is that, after keeping five clean sheets in six home games across December and January, Southampton have failed to keep another in their next seven home games, conceding 13 times in those games.

Image source, BBC Sport

What a run-in we have in store!

If anything the postponement of this original fixture last month due to a fire near St Mary's has made this an even more intriguing prospect.

With Southampton yet to face Leicester and Leeds, three points tonight would make the race at the top of the Championship even more interesting.

For Preston, only a win will do if they are to retain any realistic hope of crashing the play-off places.

Image source, Getty Images

On Sunday morning around 40,000 people will pound the streets of the capital in one of the biggest events on the UK’s sporting calendar – the London Marathon.

There are a few head coaches near the top of the Championship who could do worse than keep an eye on the iconic event with a view to picking up some tips.

Instead of 26 gruelling miles, a Championship season is a 46-game slog and the pacemakers in the promotion race have begun to falter in recent weeks – hitting the wall, as the athletes might call it. The top three sides have combined for just one win from their last nine matches combined.

Can Leicester, Ipswich or Leeds dig deep and find a second wind or will someone emerge from the chasing pack to haul them in and snatch glory for themselves as they head down the final straight?

Instead of The Mall, it’s 194 miles north at Elland Road where fast-finishing Southampton will be aiming to dip for the line on Saturday, 4 May – the final day of the regular season.

First though, the fourth-placed Saints have to close the six-point gap to the trio above, and that starts tonight with the visit of Preston North End.