Retour
Published 3rd Nov 2026, 18:30 GMT
Updated 3rd Nov 2026, 21:17 GMT
Good evening from The Hawthorns, where Albion welcome another of the fancied Championship sides this season, Southampton.
The in-form Saints visit the Black Country for an enthralling clash that sees fourth host fifth after two very bright starts to the league season.
Follow all of our build-up, live coverage and match reaction from the Saints showdown below and on the Express & Star website.
Team news is with us in a matter of seconds. Stay tuned!
Big one tonight, Baggies v Southampton.
Jimmy-Jay Morgan starts amid rumours of an injury. An unchanged XI from Saturday’s excellent display.
O’Leary; Pereira, Mepham, Campbell (c), Styles; Nzingoula, Molumby, Diakite, Price; Horn Myhre; Morgan.
Ingram (gk), Phillips, Townsend, Whitwell, Bany, Stewart, Parmar, Stewart, Heggebo.
Young Rio Parmar, an exciting attacker from the under-21 ranks, in for Kareem Tunde on the bench, who we assume has a knock from Saturday, where he came on as a sub.
No Leo Scienza in the visitors’ squad. That is a real blow. The Brazilian winger was one of the best players I saw in this division last season.
Canadian striker Cyle Larin is out too, as expected.
Finn Azaz starts, and ex-Baggies Tom Fellows and Lewis Dobbin are subs.
Three changes in all for Tonda Eckert’s Saints.
Scienza missing injured, Dobbin drops to bench, as does Bragg.
Downes, Edozie and Mubama in for the visitors.
Southampton (4-2-3-1): Peretz; Bree, Schlotterbeck, Stephens (c), Manning; Downes, Ward-Prowse; Matsuki, Azaz, Edozie; Mubama.
Subs: Long (gk), Abbott, Dobbin, Wood, Fellows, Bragg, Wellington, Ehibhatiomhan, Williams.
Exciting feeling around this one tonight.
Fourth v fifth. Big game. Two in-form teams. Two great footballing teams. Anticipation!!
1’ We are off at The Hawthorns. Full updates to follow.
Decent atmosphere inside the stadium from both sets of supporters.
Albion started on top. Good possession, patient football. Molumby had a good cross, as did Pereira, both from the right and well defended. Eventually a foul against Nzingoula. But nice football, fans on board. Sharp play.
What a start Albion have had and what a big chance that was for JJ Morgan, the former Saints youngster.
Exquisite through ball from Price in a central position having drifted in from the left, Morgan is through on goal in the box, tight right angle, and he puts his foot through it and lifts over. Huge chance goes beggining.
All Albion here. Great work Mepham to Nzingoula, so sharp from Frenchman, low cross to back post just can’t pick out Price.
Southampton fans making some noise to try to inspire their side into life and the visitors have a first spell of possession, but it ends wastefully as winger Kuryu Matsuki crosses miles over the box and behind.
Diakite rampaging run ends in a foul.
Nzingoula in the mood tonight, lovely backheel for a one-two with Pereira down this right, just judged that Albion’s right-back felled tracking winger Edozie. Unlucky.
Great clutch out of the sky by O’Leary as Southampton got in a decent position on the right. Keeper grabs it well and gets his side on the move. Baggies then fortunate enough to win a cheap free-kick in their own half.
All of Molumby’s making this time as he makes up ground from halfway and a rasping high drive is tipped over and behind by keeper Peretz. Styles on it