McQueen targets back-to-back wins for Southampton

REUTERS - Southampton Defender Sam McQueen is confident they can improve their away form with victories at Stoke City and Bournemouth in the next two Premier League fixtures.

The Saints have won just once away in the league all season - when they beat West Ham United 3-0 in late September.

Consecutive victories against Stoke and Bournemouth would help them move up from 11th place on 20 points from 15 games.

"They are both difficult games, but we feel that they are both winnable away games for us," McQueen, who signed a new 4-1/2 year contract earlier this month, told the club website (www.southamptonfc.com).

"So we're not going in with any attitude other than to get the six points from those two matches and make it a really good week.

"That's what we're aiming for, and hopefully we can get the fans back with us and back together as a club again, moving in the right direction," McQueen added.

Southampton, who finished sixth last season, have won just five league games so far this term and slumped of the Europa League at the group stage earlier this month.

However, midfielder James Ward-Prowse said a successful week would lift spirits ahead of a busy festive season period.

Saints are at 12th-placed Stoke City on Wednesday, before heading to Bournemouth, who are eighth, on Sunday.

"It's a big week," Ward-Prowse added.

"We've got a bit of a break after the Bournemouth game so it is important that we maximise the points so that it puts us in a great position going into the Christmas period.

"We've got a lot of games coming up and we've got to make sure that game-by-game we are ready and we want to be looking up at the top seven to make sure that we're in those positions come the end of the season."

(Reporting by Hardik Vyas in Bengaluru; editing by Ken Ferris)