This Sunday, Tottenham Hotspur travel to St. Mary’s Stadium to face a struggling Southampton side, currently propping up the Premier League table. In need of a significant turnaround, both teams are eager to exploit any weaknesses as they seek to restore their season’s fortunes.
Southampton will enter the match with a slight edge, having had a full week to recuperate following their narrow loss to Aston Villa. Manager Russell Martin will be missing Jack Stephens, who is serving a suspension after receiving a straight red card for an incident involving Marc Cucurella in their previous outing against Chelsea.
Meanwhile, Spurs are coming off a tough Europa League battle where they managed to earn a draw against Rangers. The North London club will be without Yves Bissouma, who is sidelined due to suspension after accumulating five yellow cards. In addition, Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, and Ben Davies are all ruled out, although there is hope that Davies’ hamstring injury is less serious than initially anticipated.
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Southampton’s current form is concerning, with their last five matches yielding just one draw and four losses, leaving them seven points adrift of safety. Their recent performance saw them narrowly defeated by Aston Villa, with Jhon Duran’s goal sealing their fate last weekend. A previous point earned at Brighton now feels like a distant memory, especially following a heavy 5-1 defeat at home to Chelsea.
In a similar vein, Spurs have struggled, winning just once in their last eight outings across all competitions. Their Europa League match featured a late equalizer from substitute Dejan Kulusevski, showcasing the need for consistency as they currently hover in 12th place in the table.
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Aside from two encouraging victories against the Manchester clubs, Spurs’ away form has been troubling, with four losses and one draw in their Premier League travels this season. Their last encounter against Southampton will be fresh in the minds of Spurs fans, where a late James Ward-Prowse penalty deprived them of a vital win.
Tottenham will look to their star players, with new signing Pedro Porro keen to replicate his first goal for the club, and Harry Kane providing vital experience and attacking prowess. However, the North London outfit’s defense, often their Achilles’ heel, will need to be watertight to stave off a desperate Southampton side eager for points.
In terms of line-ups, Southampton are expected to field Lumley, Sugawara, Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Walker-Peters, Manning; Fernandes, Downes, Dibling; Onuachu, and Armstrong. Tottenham will likely arrange themselves with Forster; Spence, Dragusin, Gray, Udogie; Bergvall, Sarr, Maddison; Kulusevski, Solanke, and Johnson.
Officiating the match will be Darren England, supported by assistants Neil Davies and Akil Howson, with Sam Barrott serving as the fourth official. VAR duties will be handled by Paul Tierney, alongside Richard West.
Fans can catch all the action live on TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports Ultimate, and Discovery+, with kick-off scheduled for 19:00 GMT on Sunday, 15th December 2024. As both teams race toward survival and success, this encounter promises to be a thrilling contest laden with drama.
