Southampton made an impressive start in their last game by taking a 1-0 lead after 22 minutes courtesy of Morgan Schneiderlin. The Saints were facing Stoke City in an away game. So, retaining a 1-0 lead at halftime was exactly what they would have hoped for, but that did not last.
Stoke quickly levelled just after halftime and later won the game 2-1. Consequently, Southampton fell bask a place to seventh, with Tottenham climbing to sixth. Seventh place is not currently guaranteed entry to the Europa League qualifiers, so Ronald Koeman will need a win against Tottenham.
Tottenham returned to winning ways after a 3-1 result in Newcastle. Harry Kane netted his 30th goal of the season in moving Spurs level with Liverpool on 57 points. Liverpool have a game in hand, so it is vital for Spurs to claim three points if they want to finish ahead of the Reds.
Expectations
Southampton have the best defence in the league, but it was surprising that they only gave up two shots on target and conceded on both occasions. The Saints have conceded a league-best 24 goals, which is two fewer than Chelsea in second. Generally, Southampton are incredibly stingy in defence. They must be at their best to cope with Spurs.
The win against Newcastle was fantastic result for Tottenham because Nacer Chadli, Christian Eriksen, and Kane were all able to get on the score sheet. Each will now be carrying confidence into this matchup, and they will need to.
A risk for Spurs is that Southampton will break up many of their attacking efforts. Southampton have speedy attackers capable of punishing Spurs on the counter. Tottenham have been poor defensively this season, letting in 47 league goals.
Match Tips
Tip one: Southampton @ 2.05 with Betfair
Tip two: Sadio Mane to score anytime @ 3.3 with Betfair
Southampton’s robust defence and rapid counter attack means that Sadio Mane could have chances because of his pace. The Senegal attacker has shown promise on the left side of Southampton’s front three. Graziano Pellè has scored more, but has let the Saints down on plenty of occasions.