SAINTS are less than a week away from the return of league action and the start of a vital promotion run-in.

Russell Martin's side have ground to make up in the race to the Premier League - they currently sit nine points off the pace with two games in hand.

With 10 games to be played in just 36 days, it will be hard to look beyond the opponent in front of them and Saints can ill afford to drop any points.

Here we assess who Southampton face in their next five matches and what can be expected...

Opponent: Middlesbrough (Home)

Date: Friday, March 29

Position in the table: 10th

Key player: Luke Ayling

Middlesbrough will be Southampton's first opponents after an extended international break. The Good Friday fixture will also mark the start of the hectic promotion schedule.

Boro recorded their first win of the season over Saints, who fell to a fourth straight defeat having thrown away a one-goal lead.

Both sides have grown a lot since then, but Martin's side will still seek revenge for their previous failure.

Michael Carrick's side are unbeaten in their last four games and have done the double over Leicester. 

Saints will need to avoid becoming the second promotion chasers to suffer that fate. 

On-loan defender Luke Ayling could do his parent club Leeds a huge favour if he helps Boro to a positive result over Saints.

Opponent: Ipswich Town (Away)

Date: Monday, April 1

Position in the table: 3rd

Key player: Leif Davis

Much like Middlesborough, Ipswich beat Southampton during their four-game losing streak early in the season.

After a rocky patch of form a few months back, Kieran McKenna's side have won seven of their last eight games.

It's difficult to pick out one key player for the Tractor Boys this season but full-back Leif Davis stands out as their biggest goal-creation threat.

The Leeds Academy product has provided 17 assists this season, the joint most alongside Georginio Rutter.

Opponent: Blackburn Rovers (Away)

Date: Saturday, April 6

Position in the table: 17th

Key player: Sammie Szmodics

Southampton will be firm favourites when they take on a Blackburn side who are without a win in nine games across the league and cup,

The former Premier League champions have become draw specialists in recent weeks. Six of their last seven league fixtures have ended level.

Championship top goalscorer Sammie Szmodics will be one to watch for a struggling Blackburn. The Irish international has scored 21 goals this season, three more than Adam Armstrong.

Opponent: Coventry City (Home)

Date: Tuesday, April 9

Position in the table: 8th

Key player: Haji Wright

After two back-to-back away trips, Southampton welcome Mark Robins' Sky Blues to St Mary's for the first of three straight home fixtures.

A Sam Edozie equaliser saw Saints secure a 1-1 draw at the Coventry Building Society Arena back in mid-December. 

Coventry have their ambitions set on reaching the playoffs while Saints will be hoping to claim three points which will take them closer to the automatic berths. 

Attackers Haji Wright and Ellis Simms have scored a combined 14 goals across their last five games for club and country.

Opponent: Watford (Home)

Date: Saturday, April 13

Position in the table: 13th

Key player: Ryan Andrews

Watford are Southampton's most familiar opponent this season with the two sides having previously met three times already during the 2023-24 campaign.

They recorded two 1-1 draws at Vicarage Road (across the league and FA Cup) before thrashing Valerien Ismael's Hornets 3-0 in a February replay.

Watford are currently being managed by interim boss Tom Cleverly, who recorded a 1-0 win over Birmingham City in his first game in charge.

Ryan Andrews, 20, has impressed in every game against the south coast side this season and will need another strong showing to prevent Southampton's front three from running rampant.