Good evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's midweek Premier League clash between Southampton and Crystal Palace at St Mary's. Both teams have suffered contrasting fortunes in recent weeks and will be keen to pick a victory in order to take a step closer to their respective goals with only 11 matches of the season remaining. Let's start with a look at the home side...

Things have not been going to plan for Southampton in recent weeks, with their form dipping at one of the worst possible times in their race for a European spot. The Saints were not expected to be in amongst the chasing pack for the Champions League, but they have been excellent this season and deserve there spot towards the top. However, with those around them on a roll at the moment, they need to return to winning ways sooner rather than later if they are to avoid getting cut adrift.

One thing Koeman will be desperate to avoid is his side's season petering out. A similar thing has happened to West Ham United, who were in the top four until December but now find themselves down in ninth place after a poor run of form. Southampton will be keen to avoid that fate, and they still have plenty to fight for this season. Koeman has admitted that it would take eight or nine wins from their remaining 11 games to secure a Champions League spot, but if they can rediscover their best form then that is entirely possible.

Of course, it must be remembered just how well Southampton have done this season, and for them to even be mentioned in the same breath as the Champions League at this stage of the campaign is a remarkable feat. Some were even tipping them to do down before the season following the summer exodus that saw a host of key players leave the club, but Koeman and his new recruits hit the ground running and have shocked everyone with their quality. A poor end to the season would be a disappointment, but it would take a lot to make the campaign anything other than an unmitigated success.

They come into tonight's match having only won one of their last six games in all competitions, and one in their last five in the Premier League. They have picked up just four points in that time, with their solitary win coming against lowly Queens Park Rangers. The Saints have recovered from a torrid run of form already this season, losing five games in a row in November-December, and Koeman will be hoping that today is another chance for them to launch a similar riposte.

To do that, they will need to address their problems in front of goal. The Saints have only found the net once in their last five outings and have failed to score in their last three. That is their worst run since April-May 2013, while they haven't gone four in a row without scoring since August-September 2010, when they were a League One team. It has been more than a decade since they went four consecutive league matches without finding the net.

Goals have been a problem at home too, where Southampton have gone five hours and four minutes without scoring - their worst run in the league since 2006. They have only won two of their last eight home league matches and are without a win in five at St Mary's in all competitions, drawing two and losing three. The last victory they managed in front of their own fans was on New Year's Day, when they beat Arsenal 2-0.

They have been a little unlucky in their attempts to score, however, hitting the woodwork a league-high 14 times. When they score first they usually end up winning too, dropping just two points from winning positions all season - the lowest tally in the division. They were behind within two minutes in their last outing, though, as Saido Berahino's early strike gave West Bromwich Albion a 1-0 victory at The Hawthorns.

The message for Palace is clear, then - score first. Southampton have the best defensive record in the league, despite their recent blip, but the visitors will be full of confidence coming into this match. They have looked like a different team at times since Alan Pardew's arrival, and the manager returns to another one of his old stomping grounds here have seen off West Ham United at the weekend. Palace raced into a 3-0 lead on that occasion and withstood some heavy late pressure from the Irons to clinch a deserved 3-1 victory.

That result was Pardew's fifth consecutive away win at the helm of Palace, maintaining his 100% record on the road since taking over the Eagles. He has already been a visiting manager to St Mary's twice this season, with the most recent of those being an FA Cup victory with Palace in January. His first visit with Newcastle wasn't as successful, however, as fans unfurled banners calling for his head during a 4-0 thumping by the Saints.

He comes into this match having won three away league games in a row for the first time in his managerial career, though, and having managed Southampton from 2009-10 before being sacked, he will be desperate to extend that run further. Palace's unbeaten away record as a club now stretches to seven games including the two draws picked up by Keith Millen during his caretaker reign, while their three league wins under Pardew has quadrupled their overall tally for the season. They had only managed one win in their opening 11 away games before Pardew's three from three.

Overall, they have only lost two of their last nine Premier League outings, including four victories in seven matches under Pardew. They only managed three wins from their previous 20 games before Pardew arrived, so it is clear to see the former Newcastle manager's immediate impact at the Eagles. They were in the bottom three when he took over, but now sit comfortably in 12th place with eight points separating them from relegation.

Eight points is not quite an unassailable gap with 11 games remaining, but with many of those below them struggling to build any momentum it should be enough to keep them in the division. Another victory tonight would be a huge step towards guaranteed survival, but with nine points separating them from the top half they find themselves in mid-table limbo to a certain extent. Even so, a 12th-placed finish would go down as a successful campaign for the Eagles.

While Southampton have given up the fewest points from winning positions this season, Palace can counter that with 15 points picked up from losing positions this season - a tally only comeback specialists Tottenham Hotspur can better. Such character is exactly what a team needs in the relegation battle and, while Pardew won't be happy with how often his side have conceded the first goal in matches, he will be delighted with how they have responded more often than not.

One area Southampton will have to keep a particularly close eye on this evening is set pieces. No team has scored more than Palace's 17 goals from set pieces this season, with three of those coming in the victory over West Ham at the weekend. The Hammers are themselves renowned as specialists in aerial duels, but Palace hurt them time after time and will be looking to do the same to Southampton tonight. Their threat from dead-ball situations, in addition to the pace on the counter, is a large reason behind why they have had so much success on the road under Pardew.

TEAM NEWS: The teams are in for both sides and the headline news is that January signings Filip Djuricic and Eljero Elia both start for the hosts in their only two changes to the side that lost at The Hawthorns. Palace, meanwhile, welcome Dwight Gayle back into their starting lineup, while James McArthur and Joe Ledley also come in as Pardew is forced to make three changes. Full teams for both sides coming right up...

SOUTHAMPTON STARTING XI: Forster; Clyne, Fonte, Yoshida, Bertrand; Wanyama, Schneiderlin, Djuricic, Elia, Mane; Pelle

SOUTHAMPTON SUBS: K. Davis, Gardos, Long, S. Davis, Tadić, Ward-Prowse, Alderweireld

CRYSTAL PALACE STARTING XI: Speroni; Kelly, Delaney, Dann, Ward; McArthur, Ledley, Zaha, Puncheon, Bolasie; Gayle

CRYSTAL PALACE SUBS: Hennessey, Mariappa, Hangeland, Souare, Boateng, Gray, Ameobi

What can we make of those two sides, then? Well, the first thing to note for Southampton is that Graziano Pelle gets another chance to end his scoring duck in the league. The Italian started brilliantly in English football following his summer move, but he looks short on confidence right now having gone 10 Premier League matches without a goal. He did find the net against Palace here in the FA Cup tie, but as far as the league is concerned he is goalless in 2015.

The striker will have Djuricic and Elia feeding him this evening, with the new signings the only changes in the starting lineup. They, along with Mane, will provide the line of three directly behind the Italian and will be hoping to provide him with enough ammo to finally end his drought. They all pose a goalscoring threat themselves too so, while Southampton have been sky in the final third of late, they certainly have the tools to hurt Palace.

Wanyama and Schneiderlin will be the two central midfielders, while Koeman has reverted to four at the back having tried and quickly abandoned his 3-5-2 formation at the weekend. Gardos is the centre-back to make way as Fonte and Yoshia continue. Alderweireld, meanwhile, is on the bench as he looks to make a return having spent the last seven weeks sidelined with a hamstring injury. The Belgian scored in the reverse fixture on Boxing Day.

As for Palace, they have something of a striker shortage at the moment, with Campbell, Sanogo and Chamakh all sidelined through injury and Murray suspended following his eventful match against West Ham at the weekend. They do have depth in that area of the field, though, and Dwight Gayle returns to the fold this evening. He is without a goal since mid-January but should get a run in the team now and will be hoping to make the most of it.

Alongside him will be Zaha and Bolasie, the latter of whom has the ability to come up with a match-winning contribution at any stage. His consistency, decision-making and final ball still come under question, and rightly so, but he is always a danger on the counter-attack with his pace and Palace will no doubt try to exploit that again tonight. The same is true for Zaha, while Jason Puncheon in the middle with be hoping that he is afforded as much space as he was against West Ham at the weekend. The former Southampton man ran the show at Upton Park, becoming the first ever Palace player to pick up three assists in one Premier League match.

There are two enforced changes in midfield, with skipper Mile Jedinak out for the next four games due to his elbow on Diafra Sakho at the weekend. McArthur comes in for him, while Ledley replaces the injured Mutch, who was forced off early at Upton Park. Jedinak in particular is a big loss for Palace, who only got him back at the weekend following injury, but they can have no complaints at the length of his ban. The Australian insists that he didn't mean his elbow on Sakho, but it certainly looks nasty and was always likely to result in a ban.

There are no changes at the back from Pardew as he sticks with the players who defended well against West Ham on Saturday. Dann even managed to get on the scoresheet in that match, just as he has done in both of Crystal Palace's matches against Southampton already this season - albeit once at the wrong end. He will be a danger from set pieces as ever, but expect the likes of Kelly and Ward to get forward on a limited basis as Palace once again look to soak up pressure and hit their hosts on the break.

PREDICTION: We're 10 minutes away from kickoff at St Mary's, which means that it is time for a prediction! Palace have been excellent on the road so far and will be the more confident of the two sides coming into this match, but Southampton still have a lot of good players in their side despite the recent form. It really could go either way, but I'm going to call it down the middle and go for a 1-1 draw.

Southampton's record against Palace is a very impressive one having won their last six meetings in the league, only conceding one goal in that time. They have never lost to the Eagles in 11 Premier League meetings, winning seven and drawing four, while they have taken 13 points from a possible 15 off Palace at home in the top flight.

Palace did, however, break their St Mary's duck in the fourth round of the FA Cup earlier this year, winning at the stadium for the first time. It was a thoroughly entertaining FA Cup tie, with all five goals coming in the first half as the Eagles edged to a 3-2 victory. Chamakh and Sanogo were on the scoresheet for Palace that day, however, and neither of them will feature tonight.

The reverse fixture between these two sides came on Boxing Day and proved to be Neil Warnock's final match in charge of the Eagles. Southampton ran out 3-1 winners at Selhurst Park, with Mane, Bertrand and Alderweireld all on the scoresheet. It was the final straw for the board, who sacked Warnock and have not looked back since. The last meeting between these two in the league at St Mary's came in September 2013, with Pablo Osvaldo and Rickie Lambert scoring in a 2-0 win for the Saints.

There are two other Premier League matches taking place this evening, and both could have a pivotal say on the relegation battle. You can follow our live coverage of Aston Villa vs. West Brom and Hull City vs. Sunderland, while I will also be keeping you up to date with major events from both matches.

KICKOFF: Southampton get us underway here at St Mary's as they look to return to winning ways and keep their fading Champions League hopes alive.

The hosts have seen more of the ball in the opening exchanges, as expected, but they have sent a few passes astray when looking to make ground in the final third. Palace will be content to let Southampton dominate the ball here as they look to strike on the break.

As expected, Southampton have started with a 4-2-3-1 formation rather than the three at the back they employed briefly at the weekend. Mane has started on the right wing, with Elia on the left and Djuricic down the middle behind Pelle.

Elia tries to give his side the lead in spectacular fashion, but it is a waste from the winger. The big boys were up from the back following a corner, but Elia went for goal from all of 35 yards and put it high and wide of the target.

Still no hint of a chance for either side in these opening exchanges. Southampton's passing has been fairly poor in the final third so far, while Palace have made one or two breaks forward to no avail.

The Saints don't seem to be playing with the same sort of swagger that they were earlier in the season at the moment. They need something to get that confidence back, and a win here might do just that.

CHANCE! Decent opening for the hosts as Wanyama's long-range effort falls kindly for Djuricic. The initial shot was heading well wide, but Djuricic managed to control it just inside the box and, with no pressure on him, was able to get a shot away. It is a disappointing finish, however, as he blazes it well over.

Still Southampton control possession, by Palace are keeping their shape well here. Pelle has not been able to get involved at all so far, with the visitors starving him of service much like they did to Sakho and Valencia at the weekend.

UPDATE: The first goal of the evening has gone in at the KC Stadium, with Hull taking the lead against Sunderland. Dame N'Doye has continued his bright start to life at the club by getting the opening goal, which could prove to be a very important one in the relegation battle.

Southampton's brightest attack of the game sees them come forward at pace, with Forster starting the move with a good throw out. Elia feeds it over to the right and Clyne eventually hoists the ball into the box, but Pelle is beaten to it. Mane feeds another pass towards the striker moments later, but again it is a yellow shirt that is first to it.

Pelle turns Delaney far too easily around 25 yards from goal, but his subsequent cross is poor. He hung the ball up towards the back post, but it was far too close for Speroni, who gathered it easily.

The match has opened up a little in the last few minutes, with Southampton in particular looking a little more threatening. However, the final ball has not been good enough at either end of the field so far.

Southampton win a free kick in a good crossing position, but they try a pre-arranged move and get it all wrong. They are lucky to win a corner in the end, but Schneiderlin's delivery comes to nothing. The hosts keep the pressure on and eventually get the ball back in the box, but Schneiderlin's attempted flick goes harmlessly wide.

UPDATE: Aston Villa have scored a goal! Tim Sherwood could well be on course for his first win in charge of the club as Gabriel Agbonlahor has given the Villans a 1-0 lead over local rivals West Bromwich Albion. That is another big game at the bottom of the table.

A good spell of pressure for Southampton comes to an end as Mane concedes a free kick just outside the Palace box. The hosts put a number of deliveries into the area there, but each time Palace were in the right place to deal with the danger. They have defended very well so far.

Southampton have had plenty of corners in this opening half an hour or so, but Schneiderlin's delivery has been poor on the whole. Palace are very good in that respect, so any crosses need to be pinpoint from Southampton, and they have been far from it so far.

YELLOW CARD! The first card of the night goes to McArthur, who brought Djuricic down cynically as Southampton were breaking following Palace's first corner of the evening.

This match is being played up mainly in the middle third now as Palace look to avoid being forced too far back into their own half for a long spell. It hasn't been the best 32 minutes of football you will see this season, it must be said.

Palace have what constitutes as their first effort on goal as the ball is lifted into the area from the left wing. Zaha shows good strength at the back post to hold off the challenge on Bertrand and get his head to the ball, but it is more of a knockdown than a shot and Forster gathers with the utmost ease.

CHANCE! Almost a shocker from Forster here! Bolasie lifts a high ball into the box that doesn't look like troubling Forster as he sets up to make a simple catch at his back post. He spills the ball, however, and for a second it looks like Zaha will have the simplest of tap-ins from a yard out. However, Forster recovers just in time to get there first and spare his own blushes.

Mane picks up the ball in midfield and drives forward to reach shooting range. The less said about his effort the better, however, as he slices his shot a long way high and even further wide of the target from 25 yards.

CHANCE! Lovely football from Southampton down the left as Bertrand and Elia link up to send the former into a good crossing position. Delaney does well to turn it behind for a corner and, from the resulting delivery, we have our best chance of the match. The ball drops to Elia inside the area and he draws a low stop from Speroni with a powerful effort on the turn. The ball bounces out into a dangerous area, but Pelle can only put it wide from close range.

Southampton have enjoyed 68% possession in this first half, but they have not been able to do much with it. That Pelle chance is the only time they have looked like scoring, with Palace keeping things tight at the back once again on the road so far.

More good defending from Palace as they snuff out a hint of a chance for the hosts. Mane caused the danger by cutting inside and linking up with Djuricic on the edge of the box, but the visitors were out as a team to push Southampton all the way back.

There will be just the one minute of added time at the end of this first half.

Martin Atkinson brings an end to the opening 45 minutes and, in truth, it was not a great half of football. Both sides struggled to create chances and there was a noticeable lack of quality in the final third. Too often the end product was missing, and as a result we only saw one shot on target in that half.

That shot came from Elia towards the end of proceedings as he picked up the ball inside the area following a corner before drilling a low strike towards goal on the turn. Speroni responded well to get down and make the save, but he could only palm the ball out into a dangerous area. Pelle was there waiting but, under pressure from a defender, could only turn the rebound wide from close range. That is the only clear chance we have had in the game so far.

Palace's best moment of the match came from a Southampton error as Forster almost gifted the visitors the opening goal. Bolasie hoisted a high cross into the box towards the back post that Forster watched all the way as he came to claim it. However, under no pressure, he let the ball slip through his fingers, almost presented Zaha with the easiest of finishes. However, the Southampton keeper atoned for his error by recovering just in time to beat Zaha to the ball.

Aside from those two, the closest we have come to anything resembling goalmouth action saw Djuricic fire over in the 11th minute when the ball broke to him just inside the box. It was a poor strike from Wanyama that gifted him the half-chance, but he could not keep his shot down when he should have perhaps done better.

Southampton have dominated possession so far, but there has been a distinct lack of quality when they get into the final third. Palace are defending stoutly and refusing to be drawn out of their shape, which is making things difficult for a Saints side who look short on confidence following their recent run. If that opening 45 minutes is anything to go by, they don't look like improving their poor form in front of goal here.

For Palace, a goalless draw would be a good result here, and the way they have set up suggests that Pardew would be more than happy with the scoreline remaining the same over the next 45 minutes. They are always a threat from set pieces, however, and will also be hoping to nick a goal in the second half.

KICKOFF: Palace get us back underway for the second half as they look to maintain their 100% record in away matches under Alan Pardew.

SAVE! Much better from Palace in the opening stages of this half, and they supply the best moment of the match so far. Bolasie feeds the ball in to Puncheon inside the box and, with his back to goal, the former Southampton man turns and fires a powerful effort towards goal. It is straight at Forster, however, and the keeper makes a good stop to deny the Eagles.

Palace have really come out of the interval flying here as they look to strike early in the second half. Southampton have responded with a few promising attacks of their own, but still the end product remains their main problem.

Almost a chance for Southampton as they begin to build a bit of momentum. They nearly catch Palace out from a corner, but the visitors just about survive and get the ball away to safety. They are on the back foot at the moment.

A concern for Palace here a Delaney goes down after a fairly innocuous incident in which Elia's low drive hit him on the ankle. It looks to have jarred the ankle of the defender, but he should be able to continue as it is only an impact injury.

OFF THE POST! Palace are inches away from taking the lead! The first chance of the play falls to Bolasie having been fed down the right channel by Zaha. The winger draws a decent stop from Forster, but Palace pick up the rebound. The same duo combine again inside the box, with Bolasie this time setting up Zaha, who dug out a shot towards the back post. Forster is beaten this time, but the effort thuds off the foot of the post.

Already this second half has seen far more action than the first. Palace have enjoyed a couple of really good spells, while Southampton have spent a period in the ascendency as well. The hosts come forward again here, but Bertrand's shot goes well off target.

SOUTHAMPTON SUB: The hosts make the first change of the match as Elia departs to be replaced by Dusan Tadic.

SHOT! The introduction of Tadic has had an impact already as he creates more of a creative spark in the final third. They begin to pile the pressure on the visitors, but Djuricic's header flies over the bar when Pelle behind him was perhaps better positioned.

Puncheon is almost playing as a main striker now, with Gayle spending more time out wide on the left wing. That is presumably to curb the impact of Clyne, who incidentally has blood trickling from his nose right now having taken a cross to the face.

This second half has been a lot more open than the first 45 minutes. Both sides look capable of breaking the deadlock right now, despite a lack of shots on target, while in the first half it never looked like either side would score.

UPDATE: Sherwood may have to wait a little longer for his first win as Aston Villa boss after all. West Brom have levelled things up in the Midlands derby, with Saido Berahino getting the goal to make it 1-1.

Really good play from Tadic as he holds off one challenge and suddenly race into the box. He beats a couple more yellow shirts with good footwork but just can't get his shot away before being crowded out.

CHANCE! Oh my word, what a chance this is for Yoshida! A corner arrives from the right and it takes a flick on the way through, leaving Speroni stranded. Yoshida has the goal gaping in front of him from no more than six yards out, but he puts his effort wide when he simply had to score.

SOUTHAMPTON SUB: Pelle's league goal drought will continue here as he makes way to be replaced by Shane Long for the final 20 minutes or so.

The onus is really on Southampton to go and get a winner in the closing stages of this match. A point would be a satisfactory result for Palace, but Southampton would move to within one point of the top four with victory, in addition to improving their poor recent run.

Southampton are showing more urgency now as they push on for a winning goal in the closing stages. Long has made a difference up front, providing more movement and energy than Pelle, but still they are struggling to test Speroni.

SHOT! Mane wins a free kick in a dangerous position, and Tadic is the man standing over it. It is a little wider than he might like, but he goes for goal nonetheless, only to send a curling effort a couple of yards over.

SOUTHAMPTON SUB: A third and final change for Southampton as Djuricic makes way to be replaced by James Ward-Prowse.

SAVE! Kelly attempts to make himself the unlikely hero here as he picks up the ball 25 yards out and curls an effort towards goals. Forster watches it all the way, however, and makes a comfortable catch.

Half a chance for Southampton as Tadic makes progress down the left before swinging a cross into the box. Long shows good movement to get in front of his man, but he can only flick a boot at it and his improvised effort is never troubling the goal.

Southampton finally break the deadlock! Mane gives his side the lead with just seven minutes remaining, but Speroni has to take some of the blame. Ward-Prowse does well on the edge of the box to skip past one defender and get a shot away, but his low strike should be dealt with by the keeper. He can only put it out into a dangerous area, however, and Mane is there to apply a cool finish, chipping it over the keeper.

CRYSTAL PALACE SUB: Palace respond to going behind with their first change of the match as Shola Ameobi replaces McArthur.

What have Palace got in response here? They have defended very well for the vast majority of this game and Pardew will be gutted if his side go on to lose this match. It could have been so different had Zaha's effort snuck inside the post rather than hitting the upright, but now the Eagles find themselves on the verge of their first away defeat under Pardew.

Unsurprisingly, it is the visitors who applying the late pressure here as they go in search of an equaliser. Southampton have been in control of possession for the vast majority of this game, but are now happy to just sit back and defend their slender lead.

There will be four minutes of added time at the end of this match as Palace look to add a late twist here.

SHOT! Ward-Prowse gives the ball away in midfield and Palace are immediately back on the front foot. Dann is waiting in the middle and it looks like the ball may reach him momentarily, but Yoshida makes an important interception. From the resulting corner Puncheon's delivery is punched out by Forster, with the winger picking the loose ball up on the right. He cuts inside and bends an effort towards the far post, but it goes a couple of yards wide.

YELLOW CARD! Delaney goes into the book late on having been too forceful in trying to get the ball back from Mane for a free kick.

Awful from Ward-Prowse as he gifts Bolasie the ball inside his own box, but the Palace winger bizarrely tries to hang the ball up to the far post when he should have shot!

Southampton hang on for a huge three points to give them their first home league win since New Year's Day and move them to within one point of the top four again. Mane got the only goal of the game late on as he chipped a rebound over Speroni after the keeper had spilled Ward-Prowse's shot into a dangerous area. That was enough for a victory that sees the Saints leapfrog Liverpool into fifth for 24 hours at least, while Palace lose their 100% record under Pardew.

That is all we have time for this evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's game as Southampton edge past Crystal Palace to keep their Champions League hopes alive. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction, analysis and player ratings. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!