Thursday 25 April 2019 16:15, UK
Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl believes his side will be "very motivated" by the opportunity to secure their Premier League status against local rivals Bournemouth on Saturday.
A win for Southampton will put them out of reach of 18th-placed Cardiff, who trail Saints by six points with three games remaining and have a vastly inferior goal difference.
Hasenhuttl has overseen a remarkable turnaround at St Mary's since taking over from Mark Hughes in December, with Southampton earning 28 of their 37 points in the 20 league games since he took charge.
"I know that it's something like a derby against Bournemouth on the south coast, because we are not far away from each other and it's a special game," Hasenhuttl said on Thursday.
"For us, it's mainly a special game because we make the last step and we are very, very motivated for this game.
"To do the last step in front of our crowd, that's exactly what we wanted to have three games before the end - and now is the chance and we are very motivated."
Southampton will once again be without centre-back Jannik Vestegaard, while left-back Ryan Bertrand is also a doubt after picking up an ankle injury in Tuesday's 1-1 draw at Watford.
However, there was better news at the other end of the pitch, with in-form striker Shane Long likely to be able to start despite having picked up a knock at Vicarage Road after scoring his third goal in his last four games.
"Jannik's not (fit), that's for sure," Hasenhuttl said.
"We have another few problems. Ryan Bertrand got a hit on his ankle and is maybe also a question. Matt Targett is back in team training, which is good for us because he's the substitute for him.
"A few other smaller injuries - Stuart Armstrong has a little bit of a problem with his hamstring and Shane (Long) is fit, I think. He trained today. He had a little bit of a problem at the end of the game against Watford, so it looks good that he can play at the weekend."
