Tottenham visit Southampton in their next Premier League game
Tottenham Hotspur are in action on Sunday, December 15th, against Southampton at the St. Mary’s Stadium on matchday 16 of the Premier League. The Lilywhites visit the league’s 20th-placed side with a desperate need to win having dropped into the bottom half of the standings after their 4-3 defeat versus Chelsea last weekend.
Ange Postecoglou is under tremendous pressure having overseen just one win in his last eight fixtures in all competitions. It is believed that the Australian has time until the end of December to salvage his job and if things do not change for the better in the next fortnight or so, his New Year could begin with a firing from Daniel Levy.
Team News
Southampton
Southampton have a number of injuries coming into the game and are likely to be without their first couple of goalkeepers as per the pecking order. Aaron Ramsdale and Gavin Bazunu are both likely to miss, though the former is in the final stages of his recovery. Adam Lallana, William Smallbone and Ross Stewart are expected to miss out through injuries as well, whereas Jack Stephens is suspended and is serving the second of his three-match ban having been shown the red card against Chelsea on matchday 14.
The grave situation with his goalkeepers means Russell Martin will be forced to use Joe Lumley in goal. The home side could also adopt a defensive shape as in all fairness, they have very little in them to beat fellow Premier League sides, let alone a team like Tottenham. Adam Armstrong is Southampton’s only offensive threat having struck twice and assisted once in the Premier League so far this season.
PREDICTED SOUTHAMPTON XI (5-3-2): Lumley; Walker-Peters, Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Wood, Manning; Dibbling, Downes, Fernandes; Armstrong, Onuachu
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur are also expected to be without their primary goalkeeper with Guglielmo Vicario still injured and spending time on the recovery table. Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven are unlikely to feature either having picked up further fitness problems last weekend, whereas Ben Davies, Richarlison and Wilson Odobert might also not make the squad. Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma are out through suspension too, while Mikey Moore is recovering from an illness.
A heavily rotated Tottenham backline and potentially the midfield should still have enough to keep out Southampton, who are honestly still a Championship level side at best. A defeat against the Saints would be absolutely unacceptable for Ange Postecoglou with the fans already seeming to turn on him in recent weeks. The former Celtic boss will be reliant on his attack as he hopes to earn a convincing win before taking on Manchester United in the Carabao Cup a few days after the Premier League match.
PREDICTED TOTTENHAM XI (4-3-3): Forster; Porro, Gray, Dragusin, Udogie; Maddison, Sarr, Kulusevski; Johnson, Solanke, Son
Match-deciding duel
Jan Bednarek vs Dominic Solanke
It remains to be seen just how much quality a very underwhelming Southampton side has to keep up with Tottenham, who should win comfortably in spite of being 11th in the Premier League standings. With that said, Jan Bednarek could pose the home side’s only realistic challenge when Spurs attack and he will closely mark Dominic Solanke in and around the vicinity of the box.
Solanke has been in fairly decent form for Tottenham and will undoubtedly be their danger man, but he should have it in him to outsmart Bednarek. The duel between the two players might not be any interesting to watch, however, keeping Solanke at bay is Southampton’s best shot at actually getting something out of the game.
Prediction
Southampton 0-4 Tottenham
Tottenham Hotspur should be able to relieve a sizeable amount of pressure off their shoulders with a thumping win at Southampton. Ange Postecoglou’s men will have an expectedly easy outing and prepare well with a morale boosting success before taking on Manchester United in a huge Carabao Cup fixture.