Over 50% of the top 10k on Ings for Southampton’s clash with Bournemouth

Three days after they drew with Brighton and Hove Albion, Southampton have another meeting with a fellow south coast club this afternoon.

The Saints this time make the short trip across the New Forest to take on Bournemouth, with kick-off at the Vitality Stadium at 14:00 BST.

The result of this fixture will have huge ramifications in the three-way battle (we’re assuming West Ham United and Brighton are safe now) to beat the drop, with Eddie Howe’s troops three points adrift of Watford and with a marginally inferior goal difference.

Bournemouth wouldn’t be relegated this afternoon if they do lose but, should Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side emerge with a win today, the Cherries would drop to the Championship if Watford take a point or more from their remaining two games.

This match is also significant from a Fantasy perspective, although only one of the players on show has a double-digit ownership in Fantasy Premier League.

That player is Danny Ings (£7.6m), who makes his eighth successive post-resumption start – and his third in six days – this afternoon.

Almost one in three of FPL managers overall own Ings, while just over half of the top 10,000 are also in possession of the in-form striker.

Ings has been captained by 2.03% of the top 10k and 1.48% of FPL managers overall.

He was also the most-bought FPL forward of Gameweek 37+, with 112,345 managers snapping him up.

Ings is partnered by Shane Long (£4.6m) in the Southampton attack today, with the Irishman replacing Michael Obafemi (£4.9m) up front.

He is one of five changes from Thursday’s 1-1 draw with Brighton.

Stuart Armstrong (£5.2m) returns at the expense of Will Smallbone (£4.5m), while three of the regular back four are also recalled: Ryan Bertrand (£4.8m), Jack Stephens (£4.4m) and Kyle Walker-Peters (£4.4m) are in for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (£4.8m), Jan Bednarek (£4.4m) and Jake Vokins (£4.0m).

Speaking ahead of kick-off, Hasenhuttl said of Bednarek’s absence:

Yesterday, he had a light muscle injury and it was too risky to bring him in with a busy week so it doesn’t make sense.

Bournemouth have made two changes from the side that lost 2-1 to Manchester City, with Callum Wilson (£7.4m) and David Brooks (£6.1m) replacing the benched Dominic Solanke (£5.1m) and Dan Gosling (£4.8m).

Aside from Ings, only one other player in today’s two starting XIs – Alex McCarthy (£4.5m) – has an ‘effective ownership’ of over 1% in the top 10k, which is often a better gauge of popularity than the overall figure given the number of dead teams that currently exist.

Bournemouth XI: Ramsdale; Stacey, Cook, Kelly, Rico; Brooks, Lerma, Billing, Stanislas; King, C Wilson.

Southampton XI: McCarthy; Walker-Peters, Stephens, Vestergaard, Bertrand; Armstrong, Ward-Prowse, Romeu, Redmond; Long, Ings.