West Ham United contest their final game of an unforgettable - or maybe that should be forgettable - 2020 on Tuesday evening.
The Hammers travel to St Mary's Stadium to face Southampton in their 16th Premier League game of the season, with kick-off on the south coast at 6pm.
Following the Government’s announcement that Southampton is now in Tier 4 of COVID-19 restrictions, supporters will regrettably not be able to attend this game. All sporting events held in Tier 4 areas, which also includes London Stadium, will continue to be played without supporters present until further notice.
West Ham are seeking a sixth straight Premier League win over Southampton, having done the double over the Saints in each of the last two seasons.
The match will be shown live in the UK by Amazon Prime Video and across the world by the Premier League’s international broadcast partners, meaning our fans will be able to follow the action, safely, from home.
Team news
West Ham United could welcome back Michail Antonio, who has missed the last five matches with a hamstring injury picked up in the home win over Aston Villa on 30 November.
Arthur Masuaku is definitely unavailable after undergoing surgery to mend a long-standing knee problem.
Southampton welcome back influential defensive midfielder Oriol Romeu, who missed the Saints' Boxing Day draw at Fulham through suspension.
However, Danish centre-back Jannik Vestergaard is definitely out with a knee injury, while England centre-forward Danny Ings and winger Nathan Redmond could also be missing with muscle injuries.
The opposition – Southampton
Southampton have enjoyed a superb renaissance over the last six months and have become increasingly hard to beat under Austrian manager Ralph Hasenhüttl.
Since losing their opening two Premier League fixtures of the season, the Saints have tasted defeat just twice in 13 top-flight matches and, following their Boxing Day draw at Fulham, go into Tuesday's game ninth in the table on 25 points.
Indeed, going back to late June, Southampton have lost just four of their last 22 Premier League games - to Manchester City, Manchester United, Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur.
The Saints' form has been based on an old-fashioned, rigid 4-4-2 formation, a possession-based, high-pressing playing style and consistent team selection that has seen seven of their players start at least 14 of their 15 league games in 2020/21/.
After two difficult seasons in 2017/18 and 2018/19, when they finished 17th and 16th respectively and failed to reach the 40-point mark on both occasions, Southampton are looking well set for a second consecutive top-half finish.
Player-wise, Southampton have a strong blend of English and overseas, including England internationals Danny Ings, who scored 25 goals last season, captain, midfielder and set-piece specialist James Ward-Prowse, Spanish defensive midfielder Oriol Romeu and a solid centre-back partnership in Dane Jannik Vestergaard and Poland international Jan Bednarek.
Previous meetings
West Ham United and Southampton meet in the Premier League for the 37th time on Tuesday evening.
The Hammers hold the overall edge in top-flight meetings since 1993/94, winning 18 to the Saints' eleven, with seven draws. The Irons have also scored more goals, with 55 to Southampton's 41, and kept more clean sheets, with 12 to Southampton's ten.
West Ham have won the last FIVE Premier League fixtures between the two clubs, doing the double in each of the previous two seasons. Last season, the Irons won 1-0 at St Mary's, having come from behind to win 2-1 on the south coast in 2018/19. In those last five meetings, West Ham have scored 12 goals to Southampton's two.
West Ham's biggest Premier League - and indeed all-time - win at Southampton was on 4 February 2017, when Pedro Obiang, Mark Noble and Andy Carroll scored in a 3-1 victory at St Mary's.
David Moyes has faced Southampton on 15 occasions in his long managerial career, winning six, drawing six and losing just three. The Scot has won both his games against the Saints as West Ham manager.
Match officials
Referee: Andrew Madley
Assistant Referees: Scott Ledger and Richard West
Fourth Official: Tim Robinson
VAR: Andre Marriner
Assistant VAR: Timothy Wood
Yorkshireman Andrew Madley began his refereeing career in the local Wakefield leagues before advancing through the levels before becoming a Level 3A referee and starting to run the line in the Football League in 2008.
In 2009, he was promoted to the Panel List which allowed him to referee in the Conference divisions before progressing further the following year by becoming a Select Group Assistant Referee in the Premier League.
In 2011, he became a National List Referee, officiating in the Football League, before being promoted to Select Group 2 in 2016.
Madley took charge of his first Premier League fixture on 31 March 2018, a 2-2 draw between Watford and AFC Bournemouth.
He was promoted to the Select Group 1 Referees list in the summer of 2019.
The 37-year-old has taken charge of West Ham fixtures just twice previously - the 2-0 FA Cup third-round win at Gillingham in January this year, followed by the 3-0 Premier League win at Leicester City in October.
