Not many would have predicted that Southampton would be in danger of getting relegated from the Premier League this season.

The coastal club have been in the top flight since the 2012-13 season, but it could be the end of the road, for the time being at least.

At the moment, Mark Hughes’s side are five points from safety with five games left to play.

The former Stoke City boss has not overseen one single league victory since he took over from Mauricio Pellegrino in March.

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Frustratingly for the Saints fans, recent performances against Arsenal and Chelsea were much-improved, but they ended up losing 3-2 on both occasions.

This week, the club have a crucial fixture against Leicester City at the King Power Stadium, and three days later on Sunday the team will take on Chelsea in the semi-finals of the FA Cup at Wembley.

There has been a mixture of dread and optimism from Southampton supporters, while Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson seems baffled about the situation.

In his predictions for Sky Sports, the former Arsenal midfielder tipped Leicester to grab a 2-1 victory, but questioned how the Saints could relinquish a 2-0 lead against Chelsea.

“Southampton have to win. They have Leicester and then Bournemouth at home. Both are winnable, but I just think to Saturday – 2-0 up against a side who didn’t really want to be there. There has to be something wrong with Saints.

“They were unlucky, I know. Marcos Alonso has to be sent off [for stamping on Shane Long]. But if you’re 2-0 up with 20 minutes to go, you don’t lose. Saints have to win, and the last thing you want to do is attack Leicester, giving Jamie Vardy space on the counter-attack and with Mahrez’s vision, I don’t see how you can stop that.”