Competition: Premier League – Southampton vs. Tottenham Hotspur
Venue: St Mary’s Stadium – Saturday, December 19 – 15:00 GMT (10:00 ET)
Match Odds: Southampton 8/5 – Draw 9/4 – Spurs 7/4
Match Preview
Southampton host Tottenham on Saturday afternoon in a game between two sides struggling for form as we enter the hectic Christmas period.
The Saints sit in 12th place after failing to win in their last four outings and Ronald Koeman will be desperate to see his side rediscover their best form quickly.
Southampton were disappointing in last Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Crystal Palace and the home fans will be expecting a much better display against Spurs here.
Tottenham are also looking to bounce back after last week’s shock home loss to Newcastle ended their 14-game unbeaten run in the Premier League.
Former Saints boss Mauricio Pochettino has been praised for the way he has solidified the Spurs team this term and he now needs to get a response from his players at his former club.
Another Spurs man returning to familiar surroundings at St Mary’s is Toby Alderweireld, who controversially joined Tottenham in the summer after a successful loan spell at Southampton last season.
The most recent meeting between the two sides saw them play out an entertaining 2-2 draw at St Mary’s in April, with Spurs twice coming from behind to earn a point.
The Lilywhites have not lost to the Saints since 2005 and are now unbeaten in their last six meetings.
Team News
Southampton will still be without Maarten Stekelenburg, Fraser Forster, Florin Gardos and Jay Rodriguez. Paulo Gazzaniga will once again start in goal for Ronald Koeman’s side.
Spurs will not be able to call on the services of Alex Pritchard or Ryan Mason as both are ruled out with injuries again. Clinton N’Jie is a doubt as he is struggling with a knee injury, though Moussa Dembele should return to the starting lineup after missing last week’s loss through illness.
Key Points
Southampton’s last five: W/L/L/D/L
Tottenham’s last five: D/W/D/D/L
Key Stat: Tottenham are unbeaten in their last six Premier League games against Southampton (W5 D1), scoring 12 goals against the Saints in those matches.
Key Player: Moussa Dembele – Spurs are unbeaten in their last seven matches when Dembele has played. He missed the loss against Newcastle last weekend but will hope to pick back up where he left off by returning to the lineup here.
Score Prediction
Southampton 1-2 Tottenham – This is a huge game for both clubs as they look to keep European hopes alive as we head into Christmas. The Saints have struggled over the last month and may come up short against a Spurs side that have an excellent recent record against them.
