Southampton vs West Ham United LIVE: Premier League latest score, goals and updates from fixture | OneFootball

(The FA via Getty Images)

Follow live coverage as Southampton face West Ham United today in the Premier League. Another top-flight season will be covered in full right here with The Independent, as reigning champions Manchester City look to make it an unprecedented five titles in a row come the end of 2024/25.

The likes of Arsenal and Liverpool will be chasing Pep Guardiola's side, but just as fascinating will be the race for Champions League places, with more teams than ever before having designs on top-four finishes. Chelsea remain big-spending, Manchester United's latest rebuild continues and both Tottenham and Newcastle will expect improvements this year - yet it was Aston Villa who snared fourth last term.

Meanwhile, it's Southampton, Leicester City and Ipswich Town who made it back to the elite after promotion last year and each will have hope they can make it more than a one-year stay. Follow the latest live action from the Premier League below:

Southampton vs West Ham United

KICK-OFF! We are underway in this clash at St. Mary’s Stadium as visitors West Ham get the ball rolling. The last time these two sides faced each other was in April 2023, with West Ham securing a 1-0 win at London Stadium. The Irons have won two of their last five Premier League encounters, during which period the Saints have won only once.

26 December 2024 15:01

Southampton vs West Ham United

The teams are making their way out to the pitch, the managers and players are ready, and so are the fans who have turned up in huge numbers for this festive fixture! Southampton have lost just one of their past eight home league games played on Boxing Day, winning five and drawing two. So that’s something to settle the nerves a bit for new manager Juric on his Southampton debut.

26 December 2024 14:57

Southampton vs West Ham United

West Ham have also made two changes to the team that drew 1-1 with Brighton over the weekend. Soler and Rodriguez come in for Alvarez and Paqueta, who is facing suspension for this game. Mavropanos is fit to start after coming off against Brighton due to an injury and Fullkrug starts up front again.

26 December 2024 14:51

Southampton vs West Ham United

Southampton have made two changes to their starting XI from the goalless draw with Fulham as Juric names his first Saints XI. Ugochukwu and Onuachu replace Aribo and Dibling, both of whom are on the bench today. Skipper Stephens is not part of the matchday squad.

26 December 2024 14:48

Southampton vs West Ham United

WEST HAM SUBS: Aaron Cresswell, Vladimír Coufal, Crysencio Summerville, Luis Guilherme, Danny Ings, Edson Alvarez, Alphonse Areola, Jean-Clair Todibo, Andy Irving.

26 December 2024 14:45

Southampton vs West Ham United

WEST HAM (4-2-3-1): Lukasz Fabianski; Emerson, Maximilian Kilman, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Aaron Wan-Bissaka; Guido Rodríguez, Mohammed Kudus; Tomas Soucek, Carlos Soler, Jarrod Bowen; Niclas Fullkrug.

26 December 2024 14:45

Southampton vs West Ham United

SOUTHAMPTON SUBS: Alex McCarthy, Ryan Manning, Joe Aribo, Adam Lallana, James Bree, Cameron Archer, Kamaldeen Sulemana, Ryan Fraser, Tyler Dibling.

26 December 2024 14:42

Southampton vs West Ham United

SOUTHAMPTON (3-4-2-1): Aaron Ramsdale; Nathan Wood, Jan Bednarek, Taylor Harwood-Bellis; Kyle Walker-Peters, Lesley Ugochukwu, Flynn Downes, Yukinari Sugawara; Mateus Fernandes, Paul Onuachu; Adam Armstrong.

26 December 2024 14:41

Southampton vs West Ham United

Like their opponents today, West Ham United were also on the verge of welcoming a new manager to the club, with Julen Lopetegui being under great scrutiny for most of this season. However, the pressure has somewhat eased on the Spanish manager as his West Ham side are on a three-game unbeaten run in the Premier League, which includes back-to-back 1-1 draws against Bournemouth (away) and Brighton (home) after a hard-fought 2-1 home win against Wolves. With their next two league opponents set to be Liverpool and Manchester City, respectively, before an FA Cup clash with Aston Villa, the Irons would know just how important it is to grab a full three points against bottom-placed Southampton. West Ham have scored in each of their last six league games, but have also conceded in each of their last five. Michail Antonio could be a long-term absentee as he continues his rehabilitation from a recent car accident, while Lucas Paqueta is unavailable for this game owing to suspension. Carlos Soler is back from suspension though and could replace Paqueta. Konstantinos Mavropanos, who was withdrawn at half-time against Brighton, is a doubtful starter.

26 December 2024 14:36

Southampton vs West Ham United

Boxing Day games always carry a sense of excitement with them, and for Southampton, today’s fixture also marks the start of a new era. Ivan Juric takes charge of his first game as Saints manager and already faces an uphill task as his Southampton side are currently languishing at the bottom of the Premier League table, eight points from safety. Juric watched from the stands over the weekend as the Saints, under Simon Rusk’s tutelage, put up a spirited effort to hold Fulham to a goalless draw at Craven Cottage, thus also earning only their second point on the road all season. The draw also snapped a four-game losing run across competitions for Southampton and they haven’t won a game since a 1-0 home win over Everton at the start of November. In fact, it remains their only top-flight victory this season. The Saints have already shown signs of improvement in their last two games, since Russell Martin’s sacking, and all eyes will be on the style of play Juric instils in his team. Aaron Ramsdale’s comeback was a big plus for the Saints against Fulham and club captain Jack Stephens is available against West Ham after a four-match ban. Meanwhile, Gavin Bazunu, Will Smallbone and Ross Stewart are long-term absentees.