Lincoln City
- Lincoln City have won three and lost two of their last five matches, winning their last two.
- Lincoln City are 17th in the Championship 2026/2027 standings after taking three points from a possible nine from their first three games.
- The Imps are in better form after two consecutive wins, however, following a 1-0 victory over Bolton Wanderers in the Championship today and a 1-4 away win over Blackpool in the EFL Cup after a 1-3 home defeat to Portsmouth.
- Chris Cohen's Lincoln City side have played some good soccer since he took charge on 9 June 2026 and have won both of their most recent games.
- Cohen sets his team up in a 4-2-3-1 system where the two wide midfielders and number 10 provide the main offensive threat alongside the striker.
- Reach is the top scorer for Lincoln City in the Championship with one goal in three appearances, and Callum Elder has one assist in one game so far this season.
Southampton
- Southampton have won three and lost two of their last five, losing 1-4 at home to West Ham in the EFL Cup last time out.
- The Saints are only one place below them in 18th spot with two points from their three games so far and are looking for a first away win of the season after one road game.
- Saints responded in great fashion to their EFL Cup defeat on Tuesday by thumping Millwall 5-1 in the Championship earlier today, which shows they are capable of turning it on in attack.
- Tonda Eckert has made his mark in the Championship in the months that he has been in charge of Southampton since 2 November 2025.
- His side are ball-orientated and flexible, happy to play patient soccer in build-up play before clicking into top gear when the ball reaches the front three.
- Lincoln City and Southampton's approach could not be more contrasting with the hosts wanting to cause chaos and play at a frantic pace while the Saints want to control possession and dictate tempo.
Head-to-Head
The head-to-head is narrow with only one meeting and that was a 2-1 win for the home side when these two last met in the League Cup 2022/2023, so we are expecting another close game at LNER Stadium .
Key Players
- Cyle Larin is in good form for Saints with four goals in three Championship games.
- Reach is the top scorer for Lincoln City in the Championship with one goal in three appearances, and Callum Elder has one assist in one game so far this season.
Betting Insights
- The visitors are odds-on favorites at 1.74 to take all three points against Lincoln City, but the odds look a little too short.
- The draw is available at 3.7 and that still leaves some room for the hosts to give the away favourites a test if they can make the pace work in their favour early on.
- Over 2.5 goals at 1.8 looks a playable proposition given the biting nature of both teams, although we will also take the odds-on favourite Saints to get the win here as the likelier outcome.
Prediction
We will take the odds-on favourite Saints to get the win here as the likelier outcome.