Southampton's fifth and final pre-season friendly is scheduled for Saturday afternoon, with Dutch side AZ Alkmaar visiting St. Mary's.

The Saints have managed to win just one of their four warm-up matches, while the Cheeseheads have chalked up a four-game unbeaten run ahead of the 2023-24 campaign.

Match preview

Southampton's pre-season struggles continued on Tuesday as Russell Martin's side suffered a 3-2 defeat against South-coast rivals Bournemouth, who claimed the bragging rights thanks to David Brooks's 83rd-minute winner.

Quick-fire goals from Dango Ouattara and Ryan Christie gave the Cherries a 2-0 lead inside 17 minutes before Shea Charles and Stuart Armstrong levelled the score, but Southampton's hard work ultimately counted for nothing as Brooks bagged the winner late on.

The Saints have now lost two of their four pre-season friendlies, picking up one win and one draw along the way, so it is fair to say that Martin has experienced an indifferent start to life at St. Mary's after replacing Ruben Selles.

Following a 1-0 defeat to Portuguese giants Benfica, Southampton drew 1-1 with Turkish side Goztepe before defeating Selles's Reading 4-2, but they failed to build on the victory over the Royals last time out.

Having suffered relegation from the Premier League last term, Southampton's Championship campaign begins next Friday with an away trip to newly-promoted Sheffield Wednesday, so the Saints will be eager to lay down a marker on August 4.

On the flip side, AZ Alkmaar's pre-season preparations have been impressive up to now, as the Dutch outfit have registered two wins and two draws as they gear up for another arduous Eredivisie campaign.

Pascal Jansen's men kicked off their pre-season schedule with a 3-3 draw against Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk before thrashing Polish side Lech Poznan 4-0, thanks largely to a late brace from 20-year-old midfielder Mayckel Lahdo.

After playing out a 1-1 draw with Norwich City, AZ came from behind to clinch a 2-1 victory over Belgian side Clue Brugge, with Japanese defender Yukinari Sugawara netting the winning goal midway through the second half.

The Cheeseheads enjoyed a successful 2022-23 campaign, losing just seven of their 34 Eredivisie matches to finish fourth - two points behind Ajax - while also reaching the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League.

Despite suffering a disappointing 3-1 aggregate defeat to eventual champions West Ham United, AZ Alkmaar can use last season's European journey as motivation for the campaign ahead.

Team News

New signing Shea Charles is expected to keep his place in Southampton's starting XI after scoring against Bournemouth, with the former Manchester City midfielder set for a breakout season on the South coast.

Amid Premier League interest, James Ward-Prowse was not in the squad for Tuesday's match, while the likes of Kyle Walker-Peters, Tino Livramento, Adam Armstrong and Gavin Bazunu were named on the bench.

Given that Saturday's showdown is Southampton's final warm-up game before the Championship season begins, Martin will likely field a strong side, with Carlos Alcaraz and Romeo Lavia expected to start.

As for the visitors, Australian goalkeeper Mathew Ryan looks set to retain his place between the sticks, while former Southampton midfielder Jordy Clasie should start against his former club.

Having bagged 22 goals and 14 assists in 40 appearances across all competitions last term, Greek forward Vangelis Pavlidis will lead the line for AZ, with Jesper Karlsson offering attacking support to the striker.

Southampton possible starting lineup:
Bazunu; Livramento, Stephens, Lyanco, Walker-Peters; Alcaraz, Lavia, Ward-Prowse; Djenepo, Armstrong, Tella

AZ Alkmaar possible starting lineup:
Ryan; Bazoer, Chatzidiakos, De Wit, Sugawara; Mijnans, Clasie, De Wit; Karlsson, Pavlidis, Poku

We say: Southampton 1-2 AZ Alkmaar

While Southampton have struggled for consistency throughout pre-season, AZ Alkmaar have enjoyed a series of positive results, so we expect the Dutch side to edge out the Saints on Saturday.

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