Colchester United
- United's last three games have brought a 0-1 home defeat to Notts County, a 1-4 away win at Cheltenham Town and a 0-2 home loss to Charlton Athletic.
- Danny Cowley has his team set up to be compact and busy in a low-to-mid block, ready to clog up the middle and slow the game down.
- They'll try to force Southampton to play it slow and will hope to nick a goal or two in transition or from dead balls.
- But the Saints have more than enough to break the block, particularly if they land the first punch and can force their opponents to chase the game.
Southampton
- Southampton's last two results have both been away wins, edging Eintracht Braunschweig 0-1 in the previous round of the cup and then seeing off SC Preussen Munster 1-2 in the league on Tuesday.
- Those victories have taken the Saints' unbeaten run to four matches and it's now six without defeat away from home across all competitions (5 wins, 1 draw).
Betting Insights
- Southampton are 1.33 for this game and the draw is coming in at 5.1, which is much too high for a team with just one draw and four wins from their last five.
- Colchester United are also a shade too low at 8.2, so the odds are pointing to the away team controlling the matchup unless the League Two side can make it scrappy.
- Over 2.5 goals is a very fair bet at 1.53 and Both Teams To Score: Yes is also worth a play at 1.83, but the straight away win is the main selection.
Key Players
Lewis Dobbin has been a livewire for the visitors in recent weeks and has scored two of Southampton's six goals in the last five games - he could be a threat again here and a goal for the young winger is worth a bet.
Prediction
They have the quality to score goals on the road, which they have proven, so the most likely outcome in this clash is a Southampton win .
