LEICESTER City are dealing with a defensive dilemma ahead of their visit to Saints, with Marti Cifuentes left without a fully fit senior left-back to select from.
The Foxes will be missing Luke Thomas after the full-back received his fifth caution of the campaign in the victory over Stoke, activating a suspension.
With Victor Kristiansen still recuperating from knee surgery, Cifuentes has no natural senior left-sided defender available for the clash at St Mary’s.
The worries stretch beyond that role. Ben Nelson continues to be out with an ankle issue, while City are awaiting scan results for Caleb Okoli, who had to be substituted at Norwich due to a shoulder problem and a blow to the head.
Additionally, right-back Ricardo Pereira has not appeared in any midweek fixture this season as the club keep managing his hamstring load.
It leaves Cifuentes with only three senior defenders guaranteed to be fit for the encounter, with Wout Faes, Hamza Choudhury and ex-Saints man Jannik Vestergaard the only secure choices.
The shortage could pave the way for under-21s skipper Bade Aluko to make his maiden senior start. The 18-year-old has stood out at youth level.
Speaking before the match, Cifuentes admitted that a rethink will be necessary, and he said:
“We are going to need to analyse.
“We knew this could happen, so we have been considering a couple of possibilities. We need to speak to the medical department, check how everyone is feeling and see how the players who started against Stoke recover.
“We are waiting for results on Okoli that should come on Monday, and we will know more after that. Wout has covered the position before, although that leaves us short at centre half. Bade is another option.
“We could also look at a formation change. There are different ways to approach it, and we will see how we solve this.”
City’s treatment room also contains Aaron Ramsey and Harry Souttar, who remain unavailable. In goal, Jakub Stolarczyk is hoping to return from a groin strain.
However, back-up Asmir Begovic’s impressive form may convince Cifuentes to delay the Pole’s return until their weekend trip to Sheffield United.
Cifuentes was facing intense pressure earlier this month after three consecutive league losses, but the Foxes have now claimed successive wins and sit three points above Saints in the Championship standings.