Tottenham Hotspur vs Southampton

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium sets the stage for a bottom-half Premier League encounter between Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton. 

Tottenham need a miracle to avoid a first bottom-half finish in the Premier League since 2007/08 after back-to-back defeats without scoring against fellow London rivals Fulham (2-0) and Chelsea (1-0) left them 11 points adrift of 10th-placed Bournemouth. Ange Postecoglou’s job is under mounting scrutiny, with Spurs stranded 16th in the standings amid a dreadful domestic season, which saw them exit both cup competitions. With a season-defining Europa League quarter-final against Eintracht Frankfurt waiting around the corner, Tottenham must build momentum, and there’s hardly a better opposition than Southampton to help them bolster their spirits. Indeed, Spurs thrashed the basement boys 5-0 in the reverse fixture, making it four wins from their last seven Premier League H2Hs (D2, L1). Furthermore, they’ve netted in 15 straight home league matches against this opposition (W12, L3).

In the meantime, Southampton will be out to become the third relegation-bound side to inflict a home defeat on Postecoglou’s side this season after Ipswich and Leicester. It would merely be a consolation for the traveling fans as the Saints trail 17th-placed Wolverhampton by a whopping 22 points despite securing a draw against in-form Crystal Palace in midweek (1-1). Indeed, that was only their tenth Premier League point this season, meaning they’re two away from avoiding the worst campaign in the division’s history since Derby County’s 11-point tally in 2007/08. That stalemate against Palace snapped Southampton’s five-match losing league run, with four games in that sequence seeing them concede 3+ goals.