Southampton

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Southampton boss Tonda Eckert has said that defender Welington will be out for a "couple more weeks" with a muscle injury.

The 25-year-old was forced off in the final moments of Southampton's dramatic win over Leicester at the King Power 10 days ago, and will now face a spell on the sidelines.

While giving an update on fitness in the squad, Eckert also confirmed that captain Jack Stephens had been given the all-clear regarding his fitness after undergoing a scan.

"Welly is going to still take a couple more weeks with a muscle injury, not the best [news] but hopefully it won't take too long," Eckert told BBC Radio Solent.

"Jack's scan came back fine, so he will be available for tomorrow. The only other one was Jay [Robinson] who struggled a little bit with his quad, so he will be out for tomorrow, and we need to manage this over the next week and then get him back quickly."

Welington has made 15 appearances for Saints so far this season and has impressed since being handed more minutes after the turn of the year.

Southampton have climbed up the table in recent weeks with four wins in their last five matches, sitting ninth in the Championship table.

"It's all set up and now it depends on us," Eckert added.

"We have made some progress over the last weeks but still at the same time we are far away from where we want to be in the end, now is the moment to keep pushing and stay on the gas.

"The whole club has come together over the last few weeks, the group has come further together and we are increasing our intensity by each game.

"In general things are going in a good direction but we need to prove that every single time we step on the pitch."

Saints welcome back former head coach Nathan Jones on Saturday who brings his Charlton side to St Mary's.

Image source, Opta

Southampton will look to gain further ground on the Championship play-off places when they welcome a Charlton Athletic side looking to steer clear of the relegation zone on Saturday (kick-off 15:00 GMT).

The Saints are in fine form with three wins on the bounce and four victories in their past five (D1) to move within two points of the top six going into the weekend.

The Addicks are seven points clear of the relegation zone with three wins in their past seven games (D1 L3), having won just one of 11 previously (D3 L7).

• Southampton won 5-1 away to Charlton in November of this season and could win home and away against them in a league campaign for the first time since 1989-90, which came in the top-flight.

• Southampton have won both of their home games against promoted sides in the league this season (2-1 v Wrexham and 3-1 v Birmingham) – they last won three in a Championship campaign in 2007-08 (v Blackpool, Scunthorpe and Bristol City).

• Southampton are unbeaten in their past five league games (W4 D1), winning each of the past three on the bounce.

• Charlton Athletic have won just one of their past 10 away league games (D3 L6), though that win came in their most recent game on the road (2-0 at Leicester).

• Charlton have scored 11 goals via substitutes in the Championship this season, with only Ipswich Town scoring more (12). Indeed, both of Charlton's league goals in February came from substitutes (Tyreece Campbell vs Stoke and Jayden Fevrier vs Portsmouth).

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Puma's Rainbow ball will return to the English Football League as part of an on-going campaign against discrimination and homophobia.

The special edition rainbow ball was introduced in 2024 to mark LGBTQ+ History Month and will be used at every EFL game from 20 February until 1 March.

Manufacturers Puma will make a donation to Football v Homophobia for every goal scored with their rainbow ball across the Championship, League One and League Two.

The donations will help support education against homophobia and promote inclusion across the season.

The EFL have released a video, external to coincide with the campaign which features a Preston North End fan who was charged with a hate crime following homophobic chanting during an FA Cup fixture against Chelsea.

The rainbow ball will also feature in EFL partner EA Sports' FC 26 video game.

"The rainbow ball is a powerful symbol of the values we uphold across the EFL all season long," EFL chief executive officer Trevor Birch said.

"It not only reflects our longstanding commitment to ensuring the League is representative of all its diverse communities, but also reminds us that we all have a role to play in creating an environment in which everyone feels they truly belong."

Southampton striker Ross Stewart says he would "definitely be interested" in extending his stay at the club beyond the end of this season.

The 29-year-old's current contract expires in the summer but the Saints have the option of a one-year extension they can invoke should they wish to keep the Scot.

Stewart's time at St Mary's has been blighted by injury since arriving from Sunderland at the start of the 2023-24 season and he has made just 35 appearances in all competitions in two-and-a-half years.

"It's an interesting one because obviously in the back of my head I'm aware of the situation, but at the same time I just want to try and get a run of games together," Stewart told BBC Radio Solent.

"For me, just between now and the end of season, it's playing as much as I can and trying to have a positive impact and see what happens.

"There's obviously a lot of routes I can go down in terms of what could happen, but there's no point.

"It's about just playing for Southampton, trying to show the club what I can do, try and be positive and play as many games and that hopefully takes care of itself."

After missing two-and-a-half months of this campaign with a hamstring injury, Stewart has enjoyed a run in the side since the turn of year but says it is now about staying fit.

"I'm really happy being here," added Stewart, who has scored four goals and provided two assists in 15 games in the Championship this season.

"I've loved my time here so far and if there was an option there to extend it, I'd definitely be interested in doing that."

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The draw for the FA Cup fifth round has been made. Here is a list of all the ties in the order they were drawn.

• Fulham v Southampton

• Port Vale or Bristol City v Sunderland

• Newcastle United v Manchester City

• Leeds United v Norwich City

• Mansfield Town v Arsenal

• Wolverhampton Wanderers v Liverpool

• Wrexham v Chelsea

• West Ham v Macclesfield or Brentford

The matches will be played over the weekend of 7 March.

Watch all the highlights and best video from this season's FA Cup

Martin Sanders
Southampton fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Saturday felt like more than just another cup tie, it felt like a reminder of what Southampton Football Club has always stood for.

For years Saints have been synonymous with youth development, the academy has produced players who have gone on to shine at the very highest level such as Gareth Bale, Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Luke Shaw and James Ward-Prowse.

That pathway from Staplewood to the first team and often beyond became central to the club's identity.

But in recent years that production line has felt quieter, opportunities for academy players have been fewer, and supporters have understandably questioned whether the club's greatest strength had been diluted.

Saturday's FA Cup win over Leicester City suggested otherwise.

Tonda Eckert took a bold approach, giving several young players opportunities in a high-pressure fixture and by the final whistle five academy products were on the pitch.

Cameron Bragg was one of those players, he ended up playing the entire game across 90 minutes and added time, and the young midfielder produced an assured and increasingly influential display.

He grew in confidence as the match wore, demanding possession and dictating the rhythm of play.

His composure under pressure stood out, as did his awareness and maturity - it was a performance that suggested Southampton may once again have a player capable of progressing far beyond his years.

What made the afternoon particularly encouraging was not just individual promise, but collective mentality and getting the job done to reach the next round.

It is one thing for a club to talk about youth development as part of its philosophy, it's another to demonstrate genuine trust when the stakes are high and Eckert deserves credit for aligning words with action.

The Saints identity has never been built purely on financial power or superstar signings, it has been built on pathways, patience, and on the courage to give young players their opportunity.

If Saturday was an indication of what is to come, the future at St Mary's may once again be shaped by its academy.

Watch more of Martin's Southampton FC content by clicking here., external

Adam Cottier
Final Score reporter

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Tonda Eckert is adamant that Southampton's momentum has been building for a while.

And there's now concrete evidence that the club is heading back in the right direction after a couple of turbulent years.

Eckert chose to make 10 changes for the FA Cup tie against Leicester and Southampton ended extra-time with an array of talent from their academy on the pitch, showcasing the depth of a squad the German has at his disposal.

A fourth successive triumph for Southampton came after a tight grapple with an ailing Leicester side that had squandered a three-goal lead to lose in extraordinary circumstances in a Championship fixture between the two teams four days earlier.

The only thing extraordinary about this latest Leicester loss was Oliver Skipp's overhead kick - only the fourth goal of his career.

Southampton won because they persevered. The young players who emerged from their bench provided the required spark in the extra 30 minutes.

Although not one of those teenage talents, James Bree won the game with a header that owed a lot to an inadvertent assist by Leicester's Patson Daka, but it said a lot for both sides that Southampton reached the last 16 having altered so much of their playing personnel.

With Saints also now only two points from the Championship play-off positions, a promotion push - unthinkable in the autumn - looks possible, and especially so if their academy products can continue to fuel the optimism at St Mary's as they did on Saturday.

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The 2025-26 FA Cup fifth-round draw will take place on Monday, 16 February at about 18:35 GMT.

It will be done before the fourth-round tie between Macclesfield Town - the lowest-ranked team left in the competition - and Brentford, with former England internationals Joe Cole and Karen Carney conducting the draw on TNT Sports.

Supporters can also follow the draw on the BBC Sport website and app.

All matches will be played around the weekend commencing Saturday, 7 March.

Unlike in previous years, there are no replays if matches end as a draw. All ties will go to extra time, and if necessary, a penalty shootout.

What are the ball numbers?

1. Liverpool

2. Fulham

3. Sunderland

4. Southampton

5. Wrexham

6. Arsenal

7. Chelsea

8. West Ham United

9. Mansfield Town

10. Norwich City

11. Port Vale or Bristol City

12. Wolverhampton Wanderers

13. Newcastle United

14. Manchester City

15. Macclesfield or Brentford

16. Leeds United

Pundits Ellen White and Shay Given join host Alex Scott to bring you the action and talking points from Friday and Saturday's FA Cup ties.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Hull City 0-4 Chelsea

• Wrexham 1-0 Ipswich

• Burton Albion 0-1 West Ham

• Manchester City 2-0 Salford City

• Aston Villa 1-3 Newcastle

• Liverpool 3-0 Brighton and Hove Albion

Southampton boss Tonda Eckert was keen to praise his players after they beat Leicester City in FA Cup extra time with a heavy influence from their academy.

Saints finished the game with five academy players on the pitch, with 20-year-old Cam Bragg playing the full game plus added time.

Before taking over the first team, Eckert was in charge of the club's under-21 side.

"I'm very pleased, today was a big day for the academy," Eckert said.

"It's a big day for the football club and just shows that we have a lot of talent coming up.

"We are making those steps to become a winning football team and that won't happen overnight but we are heading in the right direction to be able to win different games of football.

"The baseline is that we need to win and today we did that with a lot of energy and a lot of our young players on the pitch."

There are seven ties in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday, and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Burton v West Ham (12:15) - BBC Radio 5 Live & BBC Radio Derby

• Burnley v Mansfield - BBC Radio Lancashire & BBC Radio Nottingham

• Man City v Salford - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 3 & BBC Radio Manchester

• Norwich v West Brom - BBC Radio Norfolk & BBC Radio WM

• Port Vale P-P Bristol City

• Southampton v Leicester- BBC Radio Solent & BBC Radio Leicester

• Aston Villa v Newcastle (17:45) - BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra (with second half on BBC Radio 5 Live), BBC Radio WM & BBC Radio Newcastle

• Liverpool v Brighton (20:00) - BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio Merseyside & BBC Radio Sussex

Kick-offs 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Burton v West Ham" of "ask BBC Sounds to play Liverpool v Brighton", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to football on BBC Sounds

How to follow the FA Cup fourth round on the BBC

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Southampton defenders Jack Stephens and Welington will miss Saturday's FA Cup fourth-round tie against Leicester, says Tonda Eckert.

The Saints boss also said defender Mads Roerslev could miss the rest of the season after having surgery on his Achilles.

Saints will take on Leicester for the second time in five days after a dramatic 4-3 comeback win at the King Power in the Championship on Tuesday.

Eckert hinted they will have to rotate their side for Saturday's game, with some key names missing out.

"Jack (Stephens) went in for a scan and we hope he is fine for next week, Wely (Welington) also went in for a scan [and] will miss Saturday," Eckert told the club., external

"Mads is going to go into surgery on Monday [for his Achilles], it looks like [the end of the season] at the moment so that's some tough news.

"We've also had some players on painkillers over the last weeks to make it through the games.

"It's a tough period of the season playing since November without a break. We want to go full tilt tomorrow but also make sure we don't risk players that are on the edge."

These two sides know quite a lot about each other - with Tuesday's spectacular Championship victory for Southampton, coming from 3-0 down to win 4-3 at Leicester City, still fresh in the memory.

The Saints are going for a second treble over the Foxes, having also won both league games and an FA Cup tie in the 2007-2008 season.

• This will be the eighth FA Cup tie between Southampton and Leicester City and first since the pair met at the semi-final stage in April 2021, with the Foxes winning 1-0 at Wembley that day before going on to lift the trophy with a final win over Chelsea.

• Leicester City have faced Southampton twice before in the FA Cup fourth round, winning a reply 4-2 in January 1970 before losing 1-0 to the Saints at this stage in January 2006.

• After losing their last home FA Cup game against Burnley 2-1 in January last year, Southampton will be hoping to avoid losing consecutive FA Cup games on home soil for the first time since January 2016.

• Leicester have progressed from seven of their past nine FA Cup fourth-round ties since 2014-15 but did lose at this stage last season 2-1 against Manchester United. The Foxes were last eliminated at this stage in successive seasons in 2001-02 and 2002-03.

• Leicester's Stephy Mavididi has scored in all three of his FA Cup appearances for the club, getting a goal and an assist in their 2-0 third-round win against Cheltenham this season.