A battered and bruised Tottenham need three points on the south coast this weekend as they take on Southampton.
Ange Postecoglou’s side have not won since their 4-0 drubbing of Manchester City last month, but there have been extenuating circumstances. The Lilywhites are sorely depleted in defence, with the absences of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven causing a litany of tactical concerns.
Spurs’ recent malaise means they are 11th in the table heading into the weekend’s games, but a win on Sunday could see them climb into the top half. They are just six points behind fifth-placed Nottingham Forest after having played a game less.
Southampton they have won just once in the Premier League following their return to the top flight, with Russell Martin struggling to enjoy the same success with his possession-oriented ideals as he did in the Championship.
The Saints are rooted to the foot of the table and are already eight points behind 17th-placed Crystal Palace.
here it is 90 minutes sunday guide Premier League shock
Southampton vs Tottenham H2H Record (Last Five Matches)
Current form (all competitions)
|
Southampton |
Tottenham |
|---|---|
|
Aston Villa 1-0 Southampton – 07/12/24 |
Rangers 1-1 Tottenham – 12/24/12 |
|
Southampton 1-5 Chelsea – 04/12/24 |
Tottenham 3-4 Chelsea – 08/12/24 |
|
Brighton 1-1 Southampton – 29/11/24 |
Bournemouth 1-0 Tottenham – 05/12/24 |
|
Southampton 2-3 Liverpool – 24/11/24 |
Tottenham 1-1 Fulham – 01/12/24 |
|
Wolves 2-0 Southampton – 09/11/24 |
Tottenham 2-2 Roma – 28/11/24 |
|
country |
TV channel/live broadcast |
|---|---|
|
united kingdom |
Application TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports Ultimate, discovery+, discovery+ |
|
united states |
royal peacock |
|
canada |
fuboTV Canada, Fubo Sports Network 2 Canada |
Martin has confirmed that Adam Lallana, Paul Onuachu and Jan Bednarek are back in contention after a relatively short injury lay-off. Onuachu impressed in the 3-2 defeat by Liverpool and could trouble an undermanned Tottenham defense on Sunday.
Lallana is not expected to make an immediate return to the Saints XI, but Bednarek should slot into Martin’s five-man backline.
Jack Stephens is suspended following his red card against Chelsea, while Aaron Ramsdale, Will Smallbone, Juan Larios, Ross Stewart and Gavin Bazunu remain absent.
Southampton’s expected line-up against Tottenham (5-2-1-2): Lumley; Walker-Peters, Harwood-Bellis, Wood, Bednarek, Manning; Downes, Fernandes; Dibling; Armstrong, Onuachu.
Postecoglou will have to do some serious digging on Sunday. With Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma suspended, Archie Gray is the most obvious candidate to start at the base of midfield. However, Spurs’ injuries at centre-back mean Gray will likely have to re-partner Radu Dragusin after doing so at Ibrox in midweek. Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Ben Davies are all out.
Lucas Bergvall has shown flashes in recent cameos and could make his first Premier League start this weekend, while Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski are certain to return to the team after combining for the equalizer in Thursday
The visitors are also without Richarlison, Mikey Moore, Wilson Odobert and Guglielmo Vicario.
Tottenham predicted line-up against Southampton (4-3-3): Forster; Spence, Dragusin, Gray, Udogie; Sarr, Kulusevski, Bergvall; Johnson, Solanke, Son.
Tottenham need this one Sunday’s visitors have dropped into the bottom half of the table and, as Postecoglou’s side wear themselves out, factions of the fan base are starting to grow impatient.
Defeat to a poor Southampton side will no doubt lead to an even greater divide among fans and a decline in support for the manager ahead of a huge Carabao Cup quarter-final.
The Saints have shown glimpses, but their ability to shoot themselves in the foot should help a Tottenham side that press pretty well up front. This could be a back and forth affair with the visitors desperate to get a win.
