With last weekend's defeat to Everton surely ending Southampton's Champions League hopes, Ronald Koeman's side face Hull City on Saturday hoping to salvage a Europa League spot.

The seventh-placed Saints will be looking to move into the top six in the Premier League and push the Tigers into further trouble as relegation remains a distinct possibility for City.

Southampton

While the prospect of Europa League football may provide scant consolation in a campaign that for so long promised the Champions League, Southampton must ensure that they do not throw the baby out with the bathwater and produce a strong finish to what has been an immensely encouraging first season under Koeman.

Having sat second in the Premier League towards the end of November, the Saints will undoubtedly be disappointed to find themselves seventh and eight points adrift of the top four heading into the remaining seven games.

However, Saturday's visit of struggling Hull represents a chance for them to get their season back on track and salvage a place in Europe's secondary competition, with tricky games against rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Man City the only daunting fixtures for the South Coast side from now until the end of the season.

It has been a trying couple of months for them, having won just two of their last seven games, but it's been a season littered with positives for Southampton and a strong finish would certainly make St Mary's an attractive proposal for their summer targets as they bid to kick on next season.

Recent form: LLWDWL

Hull

It seems a long time ago now that Steve Bruce's side beat Aston Villa and QPR in back-to-back Premier League games to move four places and four points clear of danger.

Fast forward 43 days and the Tigers have struggled to build on those victories after winning just two points from their last 15. Perhaps the most worrying aspect of their plight is the fact that it gets far harder for them.

By virtue of the fact that Southampton away looks like one of Hull's easier fixtures from now until the end of the season, you could say that Bruce's men have a rather tricky course to negotiate before they can preserve their top-flight status.

The reason for this is that clashes against Liverpool, Arsenal, Spurs and Manchester United all lie on the horizon and Hull need to start winning games - and fast.

It was a 3-1 defeat to Swansea City last time out that has given rise to further fears over their safety, and with a treacherous road ahead, their Premier League lives could hinge on how they perform at St Mary's.

Recent form: WLDDLL

Team News

Steven Davis missed the trip to Merseyside but the Northern Irish midfielder is back in contention to face Hull following a groin injury, but January signing Filip Djuricic remains sidelined with an ankle problem.

Shane Long, who left Hull last summer, is expected to line up against his former club, while Kelvin Davis is expected to continue in goal in the absence of Fraser Forster, who suffered a serious knee injury last month.

Meanwhile, David Meyler will sit out the trip to St Mary's as the Republic of Ireland international serves the first of a two-game suspension after being sent off at Swansea.

Bruce could call upon Curtis Davies and Andrew Robertson after their respective injuries, while Gaston Ramirez is ineligible to face his parent club.

City hitman Dame N'Doye will look to end his three-game goal drought after announcing himself to the Premier League with three in his first five.

Southampton possible starting lineup:
Davis; Clyne, Fonte, Alderweireld, Bertrand; Wanyama, Schneiderlin, Davis, Tadic; Long, Pelle

Hull possible starting lineup:
McGregor; Dawson, Bruce, Davies, Elmohamady; Diame, Livermore, Brady, Quinn; Hernandez, N'Doye

Head To Head

Victor Wanyama's 40-yard strike settled the reverse fixture at the KC Stadium in a 1-0 win for Southampton back in November.

That win represented their fifth successive victory over the Tigers, whose last triumph over Southampton was a 5-0 thumping in a Championship game back in 2008.

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Hit play below to see what the Sports Mole Sofa had to say about this encounter:

We say: Southampton 2-1 Hull

Although relegation candidates can suddenly spring to life at this time of the season, Hull do not strike us as the type to emulate Sunderland and Wigan Athletic and produce upsets against the division's bigger boys. One of Southampton's biggest strengths this season has been that they never stay down after being beaten and we expect them to bounce back on Saturday.