Opposition Camp: What to expect from Southampton - With Alex Comber

Steven Schumacher's side will not get any let off's this weekend, with Tonda Eckert's Saints side flying up the table and pushing for promotion to the Premier League this season.

To get the lowdown on Saturday's opponents, we spoke to football writer and Southampton expert, Alex Comber.

Southampton are gunning for the top and unbeaten at home this season, what's the key to the home form?

"I think the home form has been a very welcome new attribute this season, and this year.

"Since losing to Hull in January, Saints haven't lost at all at St Mary's. To be fair, the form overall has been just as good - with losses only coming at Watford and Wrexham since the end of the January transfer window. But focusing on the home form, it feels like the togetherness is really there under Tonda Eckert, and the atmosphere has been great; a positive environment has definitely been essential."

Do you think the end of the Tonda Eckert uncertainty will help this team achieve its goal?

"The Eckert and Spygate saga has obviously been a very peculiar and off-putting situation, so the surprise outcome of a non-punishment in the grand scheme of things has really helped for future focus. Eckert hasn't denied that the noise around his name has been a hindrance, and I think the pressure is off now, with a new contract being lined up behind the scenes and full faith in him.

"Ultimately, despite Eckert's mistakes, he's clearly got the potential to go all the way."

The win over Norwich City displayed a number of Saints qualities, including Daniel Peretz, who in the end succeeded Gavin Bazunu, how important is the keeper to this team?

"Daniel Peretz has been a huge factor in the upturn in form in the new year.

"For a while, Saints never really found a reliable No.1, but Peretz has proved exactly that. His distribution is pretty good but the shot-stopping is what has been the huge step up from Bazunu. Of course, the settled defence under a very tactically-astute manager has helped things too."

Which player do you think will cause Bolton the most problems?

"Saints have kept their first two league clean sheets of the season following the international break, which appears to have stemmed from an honest conversation inside camp that things weren't quite right.

"After those discussions, a considerable change I've noticed is that Saints have done their defending further up the pitch, and have hardly looked like conceding as a result. However, the attack is what gets teams, as the side closest to West Ham in the goalscoring charts.

"There was rotation against Norwich in midweek, but Finn Azaz is always a shoo-in regardless. He's become a real difference-maker - I'd label him as the one who could cause Bolton the most issues on Saturday."

Finally, what's your score prediction for Saturday's game?

"As previously mentioned, Saints have kept two clean sheets in their last two games - but the pessimist in me can't see them continuing that.

"When things at one end of the pitch haven't gone their way, the team has tended to outscore opponents, which is what I'll go for in this one.

"Pair that with the fact this match should see Eckert put a full strength team out, I can see it finishing 3-1 to Saints."