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The Spurs take on the Saints this Saturday at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, in what could be quite an enticing match for the neutrals. With Spurs’ looking favourites in this fixture, it will be an uphill task for Ralph Hassenhuttl’s side. Already the north London giants were eliminated in mid-week from the EFL Cup, by League two side Colchester on penalties. Due to this, they would be focused on winning at home, against Southampton, who have not had the best start to the new league season and are currently in 13th place. However, the visitors had a thumping 4-0 win over Portsmouth in the EFL Cup and would be high on confidence.
Mauricio Pochhettino’s men thought they had made a strong start to the season, having come out with returns against Premier League champions Manchester City and their fierce arch rivals Arsenal. However, losses against a resilient Newcastle side and a free flowing Leicester City last week have dented their strong start to the season.
Christen Eriksen, who was benched, will be hoping to earn a recall to the starting 11. Southampton’s slow start in the Premier League has seen the team from the South Coast earn seven points in six games. Along with defensive issues, the main worry for the Saints had been Danny Ings’ and the new recruit, Che Adams’ form. The former scored a brace in mid-week against the League One side, which would have reignited his confidence.
Lack of composure and poor finishing have led to the duo’s downfall. A major positive though, has been the arrival of Moussa Djenepo, who has been a surprise package. BigPesa suggests that the home side are the favourites to win this one, with odds of 1.46 in their favour.
Last Meeting Between These Two Sides:
Both these teams enjoyed a win each last season against each other. Spurs and Southampton both won at their respective home turfs. Tottenham got a convincing 3-1 victory at Wembley, with goals from Kane, Son and Moura with Charlie Austin scoring for the Saints. On the other hand, Southampton came back from being 1-0 down after Kane scored the opener, to win 2-1 with goals from Jan Valery and James Ward-Prowse at the St. Marys’.
Based on the odds on BigPesa, Southampton are expected to struggle. The possibility of a win for the visitors is valued at 7.0, while a draw is valued at 5.0. A Tottenham win is placed at 1.46.
Can the Saints cause an upset?
After the mid-week loss, the North Londoners will want to get back to winning ways, though anything can happen. With the defensive slip-ups by Southampton, the likes of Harry Kane, Heung-Min Son, Christian Eriksen, Erik Lamela, Lucas Moura and others will want to push forward and score.
Lloris should be returning for this fixture and could add more solidity at the back. Harry Kane (1.8) is the favourite to score in this match, as per BigPesa. Son (2.46) will be another key player to watch out for, as he has been one of their most consistent stars in recent times.
