Inter Milan got their only win in the Europa League 2016-17 group stage against Southampton in their first leg fixture in Italy. Can the result remain the same when the two sides meet again in England in the return leg fixture on Thursday?
Premier League side Southampton are currently second in the Group K of the tournament after having accumulated four points from their three games. The Italian giants, on the other hand, stay at the bottom of the four-team group, with three points earned from their three games.
A major stat giving Southampton an edge over Inter is that they English team has not lost any European game at home since October 1981. A total of six UEFA competition matches were played at the St. Mary's since. While there have been two wins by the home team, four matches have resulted in a draw.
Inter, meanwhile, have not won any of their five European away games.
The Italian giants recently sacked head coach Frank de Boer after a flurry of poor results and for Thursday's game, youth team coach Stefano Vecchi is in charge of Inter Milan. Failing to register a favourable result for themselves could make it difficult for Inter to make it to the round of 16.
For Southampton, a win can give them another bright hope to make it to the next round. The absence of a host of key players like striker Shane Long, full-back Cedric Soares as well as Jeremy Pied, Matt Targett, Alex McCarthy, Jake Hesketh, and Harrison Reed, could make it a bit too difficult for the home team.
Schedule
Southampton vs Inter Milan is scheduled to kick off at 9:05 p.m. BST (1:35 a.m. IST [Friday], 4:05 p.m. EST) on November 3.
How to watch
India: TV: Ten 2, Ten 1 HD. Live streaming: Ten Sports live.
UK: TV: BT Sport 2. Live streaming: BT Sport live.
USA: TV: ESPN 3, Fox Sports 1. Live streaming: Fox Sports Go, Watch ESPN.
Italy: TV: Sky Sport 1 HD Italia, Sky Calcio 1.
