After starting off the Premier League campaign like a house on fire, Aston Villa suffered their first defeat of the season with a 3-0 reverse to Leeds United.
On Sunday, Dean Smith’s side will be hoping to bounce back to winning ways and ensure that the result against the Yorkshire club was merely just a blip.
Standing in their way is Southampton, who have picked up their form recently, and whilst England international Danny Ings looks set to be their main threat, Villa may want to pay close attention to his strike partner, Che Adams.
Villa fans may be familiar with Adams, after seeing him turn out for rivals Birmingham City, and unless they keep him in check at the weekend, he could really deliver a painful blow to their side and leave them fuming.
The 24-year-old appears to finally be finding his feet at St Mary’s, netting two goals and providing a further two assists in his last four Premier League games, including a pair of goal contributions in a thrilling 3-3 draw away at Chelsea.
Adams’ ability to link up well with his strike partner but also pull defences out of shape with his clever running could bright yet more nightmares for a Villa defence that struggled to cope with Leeds’ intensity last time out.
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Speaking earlier this year, Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl opened up on his attacking style of play, and why someone like Adams is crucial to his side’s success.
He said: “They are the guys who have to sprint the most, press the most, they have to cover the highest intense runs and the most distance and this is why they are normally the first guys substituted.”
If Villa focus too much on stopping Ings, then they could well be burned by a man signed from Birmingham for £15m. And that really wouldn’t go down too well with the Villa Park faithful.