The 3 key battles as Southampton host Premier League champions Leicester this afternoon

Oriol Romeu vs Danny Drinkwater

With both teams struggling a bit going forward and indeed at the back, you’d expect today’s game to be scrappy and played mainly in the middle of the park.

Thus, whoever comes out on top between Southampton’s Oriol Romeu and Leicester’s Danny Drinkwater could determine the outcome of the match.

Spanish midfielder Romeu has been excellent since he moved to St Mary’s in 2015, and has regularly been one of their highest ranked performers over the last 18 months.

His ability to control the tempo of the game and indeed protect his back four will be crucial for Puel’s side this afternoon, although Leicester’s Drinkwater will want to do a similar thing for his side.

The England international has not been at last season’s high standards so far this term, but it’s clear that he’s got the ability to pull the strings in the middle of the park.

These two will likely try and force the other out of their comfort zone this afternoon, so expect quite the battle in the centre of midfield.