Southampton will be looking for their first league win in four matches when they travel to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace in the Premier League this weekend.

Ronald Koeman's side sit 12th in the table ahead of the trip, while the Eagles are just outside the European places in sixth.

Crystal Palace

Alan Pardew's side come into this match in strong form, having lost just once in their last five matches in the league. A 1-1 draw with Everton on Monday leaves them sixth in the table, two points ahead of this weekend's opponents.

The manager, who is a former manager of this weekend's visitors, was not happy with the referee following the stalemate at Goodison Park, believing that Craig Pawson should have awarded his side two penalties during the fixture, costing his team two points.

Palace have been patchy at home this season, with four of their six losses in the league coming at Selhurst Park, while more than half of their wins have been away from home.

As the transfer window approaches, there has been plenty of speculation over players coming and going at the club, with Patrick Bamford, who is on loan from Chelsea, rumoured to be on Middlesbrough's shopping list, while Marseille's Michy Batshuayi is being linked with a move to the London side.

The Eagles have not been the highest scoring side in the top flight so far this season, with a 5-1 thrashing of Newcastle United last month just the second time that the team have scored more than twice in a league fixture this season.

Defending has been a strength though, with the team conceding just 15 goals, which is fewer than the likes of Manchester City, Leicester City and Liverpool. The team has only conceded more than one goal in two matches so far this season.

Recent form: LDWLWD
Recent form (all competitions): LDWLWD

Southampton

It has been a difficult couple of weeks for Ronald Koeman's side, with the team's 1-1 draw with Aston Villa last weekend leaving the Saints without a win in the Premier League since the first week in November.

The manager was critical of his team heading into last Saturday's match, following the side's 6-1 defeat to Liverpool in the League Cup, but his team had to come from behind to draw with the bottom club in the division.

Southampton have not kept a clean sheet in their last three Premier League matches, despite having one of the best defensive records in the top flight. They have conceded 18 goals, while keeping five clean sheets in their 15 outings so far.

With six goals in 11 appearances in the league so far this season, Graziano Pelle is the team's top scorer, but the Italian striker has not scored since the 2-0 win at the start of November over Bournemouth.

Despite their recent run of form, Southampton have been a difficult team to beat on the road this season, having lost just one of their seven matches away from St Mary's.

Like their opponents, Southampton have been the subjects of a number of transfer stories over the last week, with players reported to be heading for the exits. Koeman has insisted that midfielder Sadio Mane is not for sale, while former Arsenal midfielder Robert Pires has been talking up a Victor Wanyama move for the Gunners.

Recent form: DWWLLD
Recent form (all competitions): WWLLLD

Team News

The home side have just one injury concern heading into the match, with Bakary Sako having picked up a hamstring injury last month which is likely to keep him out for the rest of December, with the team reporting no fresh problems following their trip to Goodison Park earlier this week.

Dwight Gayle came off the bench on Monday in place of Connor Wickham in the second half, and with the latter yet to open his account this season, Gayle could come into the starting lineup.

Meanwhile, Koeman confirmed in his pre-match press conference that his squad will be unchanged from the draw with Villa last time out, with Jay Rodriguez missing out as he continues to recover from foot surgery.

The manager's announcement confirms that Victor Wanyama has shaken off the ankle injury that limited the midfielder's involvement to an hour last time out, but Fraser Forster and Florin Gardos both remain long-term absentees.

Crystal Palace possible starting lineup:
Hennessey, Ward, Dann, Delaney, Souare, McArthur, Jedinak, Cabaye, Bolasie, Gayle, Puncheon

Southampton possible starting lineup:
Stekelenburg, Soares, Fonte, Van Dijk, Bertrand, Wanyama, Romeu, Mane, Davis, Tadic, Pelle

Head To Head

Southampton won both of the matches between these two sides in the Premier League last season, with the Saints securing a 3-1 victory on their last trip to Selhurst Park, although they were knocked out of the FA Cup by the Eagles.

This will be the first of two meetings between these two sides in a four-week spell, as they have been paired together for the third round of this season's FA Cup, with the fixture taking place at St Mary's in January.

Southampton have had the better record against Palace in recent seasons, winning six of the last seven matches between the two clubs and 19 of the 42 previous fixtures.

We say: Crystal Palace 1-1 Southampton

Crystal Palace have the stronger form coming into this match, but the Eagles have struggled for consistency at home this season, which will give the visitors hope of securing at least a point from this fixture. Southampton will be desperate for the win given their recent results, but Palace's results in the last few weeks suggest that they will not be easy to beat.