Southampton boss makes Sunderland admission and confirms injury blow ahead of Championship match

Southampton boss Russell Martin says his side’s 5-0 defeat at Sunderland in September was the worst day he’s had in charge of the Saints.

The Black Cats will travel to St Mary’s for the reverse fixture on Saturday, while Southampton have confirmed the game will go ahead after a major fire caused Wednesday's fixture against Preston to be postponed. Martin’s side remain fourth in the Championship table, following a 4-3 win over Birmingham last weekend, while Sunderland will be hoping to end a five-match losing run.

When asked about September’s reverse fixture at Sunderland, Martin said: "It was the worst day we have had together and the feeling after. They were good, we were in a completely different place to where we are now. I want to win every game but the feeling we had up there is an important one, we should use it to make sure we don't feel it again."

Despite Sunderland’s losing run, the Black Cats have been beaten by a single goal in their last five matches, with interim boss Mike Dodds taking charge of the last three fixtures. “They played really well on Tuesday and were unfortunate to not get at least a point against Leicester,” Martin replied when asked about his side’s next opponents. “They are a good team, a young team. The coach has been there for quite a while now, they’ve had a lot of managers but he’s been there for a long time and has done well. He has real clarity of what they’re doing, he knows the players really well and they have some really talented individuals.

“One of Sunderland’s big qualities is their energy, their willingness to run and that is why they tend to be in every game they are in, it’s always very close. It will be a difficult game, I have a lot of respect for what they do. They did really well against us earlier in the season but we have to try and turn the game into a game that we want it to be, especially at home. I’m really looking forward to the game.”

Martin confirmed Southampton right-back Kyle Walker-Peters remains sidelined with a leg injury, with Newcastle loanee Ryan Fraser also unavailable due to a knee issue.