Saints boss Ronald Koeman wants to build derby rivalry with Bournemouth
Ronald Koeman is hoping Bournemouth stick around in the Barclays Premier League so his Southampton side can build a rivalry with them.
With the club's biggest nemesis Portsmouth way down in League Two, Koeman is happy to bill the visit of the Cherries as a derby.
Just 31 miles separate St Mary's from Dean Court and the Dutchman has placed local bragging rights on the line.
"In my opinion it's a derby - but maybe not the biggest one, because there's not a lot of history between both clubs," he told saintsfc.co.uk.
"I hope that they will stay in the Premier League so that we will get a few years in a row to play against each other.
"Normally, it makes it a little bit easier for the manager because they (the players) have that feeling of it being a derby.
"Everybody will have more attention to the game, and that makes it a little bit more special. You need that to be successful."
The two sides have only met each other in 22 competitive games, with Southampton winning the last three, which all took place in the 2010/11 season with both sides in League One.
Saints included the likes of Adam Lallana, Morgan Schneiderlin and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain back then, as well as Jose Fonte, who provides a link to those third-tier meetings and Sunday's top-flight clash.
Southampton will not be able to call on strikers Jay Rodriguez and Shane Long, who both remain out.
Rodriguez's return from a 16 month lay-off is being held up by pain in his feet, though he should return to full training next week, while Long has an ankle problem.
Yet they may not be missed if the good form of Graziano Pelle and Sadio Mane continues.
The pair have contributed 10 goals combined in the last seven matches, but their manager was keen not to pick out individuals for praise.
"I think not about one or two players," he said.
"Of course they are important players because they are scoring goals.
"They are important, but the rest of the team gives them the chance to score and to be important
"(But) I am happy if they continue like this."
Artur Boruc could miss out on facing his former club when Bournemouth travel to St Mary's.
The goalkeeper missed Wednesday's 1-0 Capital One Cup defeat at Liverpool with a thigh problem from which he has not yet fully recovered and Adam Federici, who instead played at Anfield, is expected to continue to deputise.
The occasionally erratic Boruc had been struggling with his form in recent weeks but manager Eddie Howe has previously defended him and on Friday said: "It (selecting a goalkeeper) has been a difficult decision every game we've had this season.
"A lot will be fitness-depending. Artur's had his thigh problem it's been well documented he pulled out of the Manchester City game (a 5-1 defeat) with, so we'll wait and see if he's fit and make a decision between the two (Boruc and Federici)."
Asked whether Southampton being his former club was a factor, he replied: "Not at all. We'll do what's best for the team. With all team selections, since I've been a manager, it's been 'pick the right player for this game, regardless of any historical association with that club'.
"Artur's been fine (mentally). He's had treatment this week on his thigh, so we haven't seen him on the training ground.
"We're just trying to look after that injury and nurse him through the season."
The potential absence of Boruc, who spent two years as Southampton's first-choice goalkeeper until the arrival of Fraser Forster in 2014, would be just the latest issue for Howe to deal with.
The manager is also without captain Tommy Elphick and long-term absentees Tyrone Mings, Max Gradel and Callum Wilson, with only the former likely to return to the first team before the end of the campaign.
Source: PAR
