Tottenham Hotspur will have to nurse their broken hearts against Southampton this Sunday as they host the Europa League hopefuls at White Hart Lane.
The Spurs lost out on the title after a draw with former champions Chelsea. The game was a fiery one, with nine of their players ending the contest with a yellow card, the most any Premier League team has received in one game. The match was also marred with fighting and dangerous tackles, with Mauricio Pochettino having to step onto the field to separate Spurs defender Danny Rose and Willian. One incident saw Chelsea manager Guss Hiddink pushed to the ground in a tussle between the two teams on the sideline.
As a result, both teams have incurred penalties from the English Football Association for failing to control their players. Mousa Dembele is likely to receive a further punishment for his incident with Diego Costa, where the Belgian appeared to gouge his opponents eye, on top of the three-match ban he has already been given.
It was an ugly way for Tottenham’s title challenge to end, but the only thing for the team to do now is to move forward, starting with Southampton. Ronald Koeman’s men are currently on the chase for European football and lie seventh in the table. The Saints have beaten their last two opponents 4-2, including an emphatic win over Manchester City at St Mary’s.
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Shane Long has been one of, and is one of, Southampton’s key players. He scored against City in their last game before Sadio Mane stole the show with his hat-trick, and will be difficult to keep track of in the box. Headers are a specialty of his, so Hugo Lloris will need to be on his toes and the Spurs defence need to stay calm after the eruption in the last match. The Irish International has saved Saints in several situations with a header, including one against Swansea in February which gained them all three points instead of one. Sadio Mane will also be brimmed to the top with confidence after his three goals last week, which will be a challenged for a tired and emotionally drained Spurs side.
Team News
Dembele is out due to his three-match ban from the FA for violent conduct, though he could suffer more if he is found guilty. Mark Clattenburg did not penalize the Belgian during the match, but the incident was certainly not missed by others. Dele Alli is also unavailable, serving a match ban from a previous incident.
Southampton do not have any immediate injury worries, which boosts their Europa League hopes. Liverpool also advanced into the Europa League final on Thursday, which further aids the Saints’ chance of getting into Europe, as they have less competitors to worry about should the Reds lift the trophy.
Head-to-head
Since Southampton ended a seven-year absence from the Premier League, Tottenham have won six of their seven encounters, the other being a 2-2 draw.
Previous Meeting
The last time the two teams met was back in December of last year, where Spurs emerged with a 2-0 victory at St Mary’s Stadium. It was Harry Kane’s 100th appearance for Tottenham Hotspur and he scored to celebrate with his 10th goal in 10 games for the club. Alli added to the tally with a shot from close-range.
Prediction
Southampton’s mindset after the game against City will be in exactly the right place. Tottenham, on the other hand, will be upset by their performance and their behavior against Chelsea. Koeman’s men may just have the edge as the hopes of Pochettino’s side crumbled with the situation at Stamford Bridge, which may just leave the end of the season to go down with that performance.
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