With season’s end quickly bearing down on the Premier League, both Southampton and Tottenham will be looking to secure themselves a guaranteed spot in Europe next season.
Tottenham currently occupy the final confirmed UEL position of sixth, but the results of the FA Cup final could see seventh place also qualify for the league. Regardless, with Spurs sitting just one point above the Saints both teams will surely see this match as an opportunity to get one step closer to wrapping up the vital spot on the ladder.
In recent times Ronald Koeman’s and Mauricio Pochettino’s men have stumbled, each earning just seven points from their last five games and ruling out any realistic chance of Champions League football for either club.
Adding another dimension to the game will be Pochettino’s first return to St. Mary’s since leaving for White Hart Lane. Guiding the club to a league high eighth finish last season, Pochettino earned himself a move to Spurs in the summer, replacing Tim Sherwood.
Key battle – Harry Kane vs José Fonte
Scoring his 20th league goal and 30th in all competitions against Newcastle midweek, confidence could not be higher for the 21-year-old Englishman who is undoubtedly one of the hottest prospects in world football. Capable of scoring with either foot or his head and possessing a cracking shot from range, the Spurs No.18 is the equal highest goal scorer in the league. Kane’s consistent goal scoring form throughout the season is a worrying problem for any opposition manager and Koeman will surely have spent the week planning how to stifle the man in form.
Likely to be sharing the task of keeping Kane quiet with central-defensive partner Maya Yoshida, will be Saints captain José Fonte. The Portuguese centre-half is yet to properly face the young striker, who was substituted on in injury time in the Spurs 1-0 win at White Hart Lane earlier in the season. The men from St. Mary’s have conceded the least goals in the league, having had just 24 goals scored against them in 33 outings, a rate of 0.72 goals per game. This impressive defensive record is thanks in no small part to Fonte who has missed only a single league game, maintaining terrific form throughout the campaign and looks as likely as any to keep the Premier League’s Golden Boot leader scoreless.
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Team News
Southampton may miss utility Toby Alderweireld, who was stretchered off in the dying minutes of the clash with Stoke, though Koeman seems hopeful of him starting. Victor Wanyama is a definite to miss the game through suspension after accumulating too many yellow cards.
Southampton Expected XI (4-2-3-1): K. Davis, N. Clyne, J. Fonte, M. Yoshida, R. Bertrand, T. Alderweireld, M. Schneiderlin, S. Davis, S. Mané, D. Tadić, G. Pellè
Regular first choice goalkeeper Hugo Lloris will be assessed before the match but Saturday may see his return to the squad after a knee injury in March. Fullback Kyle Walker will remain side-lined with a foot injury.
Tottenham Hotspur Expected XI (4-2-3-1): H. Lloris, E. Dier, F. Fazio, J. Vertonghen, D. Rose, Paulinho, N. Bentaleb, E. Lamela, C. Eriksen, N. Chadli, H. Kane
Head-to-head
75 previous meetings between the two clubs see Tottenham have the better of history, winning the encounter 35 times to Southampton’s 23 and the pair sharing the spoils on 17 occasions. Games at St. Mary’s, however, have seen the home team finish victorious in 16 clashes to the visitors’ 10, with 11 ending as draws.
Their meeting earlier this season saw Spurs take all three points after a first half goal from Christian Eriksen.
Prediction
Both teams will be more desperate not to lose rather than win in this clash with a point apiece keeping things tight on the table. Neither team will likely look to play too risky in pursuit of the three points and will rely on some of their more inventive players to create goal scoring opportunities. Both probable to go with single striker formations and two holding midfielders sitting in front of the back four, will stifle a lot of the midfield play high up the park so creativity will have to come from deep or out wide. All in all a lack of out and out desperation will lead to a not overly exciting draw.
Southampton 1 Tottenham 1
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