Tottenham Hotspur will hope to return to winning ways in the Premier League when they entertain Southampton at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Wednesday.
Antonio Conte’s side headed into the mid-season break following a 2-0 away defeat to Chelsea, which has left them seventh in the table, four points adrift of a top-four spot, albeit with three games in hand.
A 3-1 victory over Brighton in the FA Cup fourth round was perhaps a timely confidence booster for Spurs ahead of their midweek league fixture.
Southampton, on the other hand, held league leaders Manchester City to a 1-1 draw before the mid-season break. But 11 league goals conceded in the last six games does not exactly set the Saints up well for a trip to Spurs.
Tottenham Hotspur vs Southampton—Team News
Tottenham
Cristian Romero and Son Heung-min both recovered from their injury problems and returned to the starting XI in the FA Cup win over Brighton last weekend. However, Antonio Conte is set to be without Japhet Tanganga, Oliver Skipp and Eric Dier once again.
Hugo Lloris is expected to start in goal, with an unchanged back three of Cristian Romero, Davison Sanchez and Ben Davies starting ahead of the Frenchman. Emerson Royal and Sergio Reguilon will continue as wing-backs, with Conte wanting the duo to get more involved in Tottenham’s attacks.
🔥 A Harry Kane hat-trick against the Saints in 2017. ⏪
⌚️ @IWC pic.twitter.com/CI6j2zgYFL
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) February 9, 2022
Harry Winks is expected to form the double-pivot alongside Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg as the central midfield duo look to control the flow of the game against the Saints.
As for the attack, Harry Kane will be itching to get himself on the score sheet again after netting a brace in the FA Cup win over Brighton last weekend. The England international will lead the Spurs attack, flanked by Lucas Moura and Son Heung-min.
Southampton
Southampton lost defender Lyanco to a “very serious” thigh injury in the FA Cup win over Coventry, with the defender expected to be out for 8-12 weeks. But Armando Broja has a chance of feature despite taking a knock to the knee.
Will Smallbone is back in training after a long injury layoff, and manager Ralph Hasenhuttl may be able to welcome Moussa Djenepo back to the squad following the completion of his AFCON commitments. However, Nathan Tella and Alex McCarthy remain side-lined.
Fraser Forster will return in goal on Wednesday despite Willy Caballero’s heroics against Coventry City. Ralph Hasenhuttl is likely to revert to a back four, which could see Kyle Walker-Peters, Jan Bednarek, Mohamed Salisu and Romain Perraud start against Spurs.
Targeting a strong finish to the #PL season 👊
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) February 9, 2022
Oriol Romeu would act as a destroyer, mopping things at the back and allowing his midfield partner James Ward-Prowse to express himself freely. Out wide, the Saints will pin their hopes on the creative prowess of Mohamed Elyounoussi and Stuart Armstrong to breach a tight Spurs backline.
With Armando Broja a doubt, Hasenhuttl could opt for a two-pronged attack of Che Adams and Nathan Redmond to press intensely from the front and cause problems to the hosts.
Tottenham Hotspur vs Southampton—Predicted Lineups
Tottenham Hotspur Predicted Lineup (3-4-3): Hugo Lloris; Cristian Romero, Davinson Sanchez, Ben Davies; Emerson Royal, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Harry Winks, Sergio Reguilon; Son Heung-min, Lucas Moura, Harry Kane
Southampton Predicted Lineup (4-4-2): Fraser Forster; Kyle Walker-Peters, Mohamed Salisu, Jan Bednarek, Romain Perraud; Oriol Romeu, James Ward-Prowse, Mohamed Elyounoussi, Stuart Armstrong; Nathan Redmond, Che Adams
Tottenham Hotspur vs Southampton—Key Players
Tottenham Hotspur—Harry Kane
Harry Kane’s brace against Brighton in the FA Cup fourth round last weekend should have given him a lot of confidence. With Son Heung-min back from injury, Kane could expect more service in the box against Southampton. Even during his off days, one wouldn’t bet against the England international from finding the back of net.
Southampton—James Ward-Prowse
From Southampton’s point of view, James Ward-Prowse is the player worth keeping an eye on. With Romeu besides him, Ward-Prowse is likely to be given a bit more freedom going forward, and his late runs into the box coupled with his set-piece prowess could potentially cause danger for Conte’s side.
Prediction: Tottenham 2-1 Southampton