Ipswich's first league defeat to Southampton since August 2011 could not have come at a more untimely moment. Kieran McKenna's side were briefly threatening to move out of the relegation zone after Liam Delap equalised. Instead they remain 19th in the Premier League table, with goals and points in short supply over recent weeks.

It's a potentially crucial fixture in the fight to beat the drop as relegation candidates Ipswich and Southampton meet on Saturday at Portman Road.  Having had to face EPL big guns Liverpool and Manchester City in successive weeks,

Southampton produced a performance brimming with grit and determination as they claimed only their second Premier League win of the season at fellow strugglers Ipswich.

Southampton move onto nine points and eight away from 19th-placed Ipswich with a first league victory in three months and while time is running out to pull off a great escape, veteran head coach Juric remains optimistic.

Ireland international Will Smallbone came off the bench as the Saints overcame fellow strugglers Ipswich Town.

Southampton's fight is not about whether they can stay up, it is whether they can avoid being the worst Premier League team of all time and beat Derby County's total of 11 points from 2007-08. Ipswich are still battling to avoid relegation,