Tottenham v Southampton is a match I have been looking forward to after we failed to get all three points against them earlier in the season when the Saints found themselves down to 10 men.
That game represents two dropped points considering the circumstances and tonight, Tottenham have a golden opportunity to put that disappointment to bed once and for all.
That does not mean that Southampton are pushovers, far from it but let’s be honest, they are a side that we should be beating, especially at the Tottenham Stadium.
Antonio Conte is still missing a few players, Eric Dier among them but the manager has enough players available to him to put out a very strong side and one that really should be picking up all three points this evening.
Harry Kane is almost back to his best, Son Heung-min is back and got a good few minutes under his belt against Brighton at the weekend, same with Cristian Romero and the two new boys, Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur.
But it is not just the players that are now available to Conte that is a positive but also the way the team is playing. Apart from the mental block they suffer against Chelsea, the lads are playing and looking far more formidable these days, Conte’s work on the training pitches are starting to pay off, both attacking and defensively.
There are still some issues, the defence is still slightly brittle and the midfield is not the most creative, however, with Bentancur and Kulusevski now available and Romero back then we should see a stronger backline and more visionary midfield.
Southampton is a tough team to beat, on occasions, they do fold like a pack of cards as two 9-0 losses show, however, they also showed their toughness holding Man City to a well-deserved draw. Tottenham cannot be complacent against Ralph Hasenhüttl team but they can and should be able to turn them over.
Predicted lineup
Eric Dier is still carrying a knock and is likely out, I reckon Bentancur will be selected ahead of Winks and Lucas ahead of Bergwijn, however. Kulusevski probably needs more game time and I suspect he will start on the bench.
Lloris; Sanchez, Romero, Davies; Emerson, Reguilon, Bentancur, Hojbjerg, Lucas, Kane, Son.
Predicted Score
Obviously, as a Spurs fan, I am biased but I am confident that we will collect all three points with a winning margin of a couple of goals. I do see the Saints scoring simply because the defence is not quite there yet and in James Ward Prowse they have a player that can score from almost anywhere.
Tottenham 3-1 Southampton
What are your Tottenham v Southampton predicted score? Let us know in the comments.
