Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has confirmed that his side will be without influential midfielder Stuart Amrstrong for the clash against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Armstrong was away on international duty with Scotland over the past week but was substituted in their fixture against Czech Republic on Monday evening.
The midfielder played a part in all nine of Southampton's fixtures following the Premier League comeback in June, but Hasenhuttl has confirmed Armstrong will miss the opener at Selhurst Park on Saturday.
"It is a sign that we did a good job as coaches that our players have been called up for England, but for preparing for the new season it is not fantastic," Hasenhuttl told reporters.
"We have had some players come back fit and some not so fit. Stuart Armstrong has come back injured from the national team, that is the second time.
"I really hate it, to be honest. It is pre-season and I do everything to keep the players healthy and then he comes back injured after playing 80 minutes [for Scotland].
"It is not perfect but we have to handle it. We have to find the best solutions and try and win the game."
Southampton's usual 4-2-2-2 formation allows Armstrong to drift in from what would usually be a right-wing position to a more central attacking role with Kyle Walker-Peters pushing on further.
Armstrong's absence is likely to mean an appearance for either young midfielder Will Smallbone or Sofiane Boufal, who missed large parts of last season.
