The Championship season kicks off at the crack of dawn on Saturday (5th), with Sydney Wednesday hosting Southampton in the first match of the season. The two teams were in two different divisions last season, with Sioux Wednesday leapfrogging from League One, while Southampton were unfortunately relegated. Although the visiting Saints have a slight edge on paper, they may not be able to perform well against the spirited Seahampton due to the departure of many of their stars, so it's safer to go for the 2.5-goal underdog. (Saturday 3am kickoff)
After 11 years in the Premier League, Southampton have fallen to the Championship this season. On the surface, they are undoubtedly better, but the reality is that players such as Watson, Ogilvy O'Lavia, and Giancarlo Piedras are thinking of leaving the team, and center back Mohamed Salisu has joined Monaco a few days ago, so the morale of the team will inevitably be affected. In the Championship, where fighting spirit and physical strength are emphasized, it may be difficult for them to taste victory at the beginning of the new season.
"The Saints' new head coach Russell Martin wants to introduce the pass-and-control soccer philosophy that he used at Swansea, but this technical style of play cannot be adapted overnight, especially with the team's unstable lineup, and their performance in the pre-season warm-up games was not satisfactory, with only one win in five games, and the last time they played against Alkmaar, they even lost 0-1, so they should not have high expectations for them in the new season. Tactics have not yet been skillful, the new season should not have too high expectations for them.
