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Saints set for start of favourable run of fixtures with visit of Burnley

Photo: Daily Echo

Southampton are back in action this weekend following their nine day winter break. They welcome Burnley to St Mary’s on Saturday.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side go into the game on the back of a break, but before it, they bowed out of the FA Cup to Tottenham Hotspur in a 3-2 defeat.

The turnaround for the Saints in the past couple of months has been really impressive, and they will be keen to take a step closer to the magical 4o point marker.

Victory for the South Coast side could see them rise as high as tenth, depending on other results.

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The Saints boss is set to have a fully fit squad to chose upon for the visit of the Clarets, with James Ward-Prowse recovering from a knee injury which saw him subbed off in the first half cup exit to Tottenham.

Full backs, Kyle Walker-Peters and Yan Valery are both battling to start at right back, with the pair building up their fitness in the last couple of weeks.

As for Burnley, Ashley Barnes and Johann Berg Gudmundsson remain out but new signing Josh Brownhill is in line to make his first appearance for the club.

Defenders Matt Lowton and Charlie Taylor are both doubts for the game and will be assessed prior to kick off.

Ralph Hasenhuttl knows just how tough a test Burnley will provide:

“It is always difficult to play against Burnley. We lost 3-0 and we know how tough it always is,” the Saints boss told the club website.

“I think we want to show that we are better now than we were at the beginning of the season.”

“Everyone used their few days off to recover and recharge their batteries. Everybody is back and is fit – the whole squad.

“It seems like the guys used the time to get their energy back and this is good.”

Dyche excited by prospect of new signing Brownhill:

“He will be travelling and in amongst the group and we like what we’re seeing early on,” Dyche told Burnley’s website.

“We’ll see what he can deliver over time, but he’s certainly slipped into the group very nicely.

“I think he will grow into the club, which we often look for. It’s not very often we have signed players who we think are bona fide Premier League players who we just lob onto the pitch and they just take care of themselves.”