Ralph Hassenhuttl to miss Southampton clash v West Ham – Sky Sports
Southampton boss Ralph Hassenhuttl will miss the Premier League clash against West Ham United on Tuesday evening.
Sky Sports have confirmed that the Saints will be without their manager in the dugout after a positive COVID-19 test in his household.
The Austrian will now need to isolate, and therefore will leave David Moyes alone in managerial terms at St. Mary’s.
There has been a spike of positive tests within the Premier League this week, with Manchester City’s game against Everton being called off on Monday.
It shouldn’t make a massive difference though, with Hassenhuttl set to manage his side via a video and audio link on the South coast.
One difference it could make is his influence before and during the game in-terms of his motivation skills – something that has been a huge boost for the Saints this season.
Moyes has also missed a handful of games this season after testing positive himself, and that didn’t affect the Irons too much.
The Irons will need to remain switched on, with three important points on the line this evening in terms of not letting the top-eight slip away.
Southampton are only one spot ahead of the Hammers, but three points would see them double their gap to six points.
It has been made no secret that European football is the aim this season, and these are the sort of games that must be won – advantage West Ham?
In other West Ham United news, our predicted Hammers starting XI for the Saints clash