Tottenham – Southampton : Preview & Prediction
When Son Heung-min and Tottenham beat Manchester City on the opening day of the 2021/22 Premier League (PL), only their most pessimistic supporters could have imagined they would be under a new manager just months later. However, a promising unbeaten run to end that campaign (G4, E2) would soon see them back in Champions League action and in the hunt for their first major trophy in 15 years.
Antonio Conte brought in conditioning coach Giampiero Ventrone, who won titles at both Juventus and Guangzhou Evergrande, and has put the team through a preseason so tough that some players even threw up during drills. With the addition of several exciting summer signings, including Richarlison, Yves Bissouma and veteran Ivan Perišić, Conte will accept no fewer than three points at home, where Spurs won six of their last seven PL clashes (P1), scoring 20 goals in that span.
Southampton were one of four clubs to take points off Tottenham in the two PL 2021/22 meetings, but there were few other achievements in a fourth successive campaign finishing in the bottom half of the table under Ralph Hasenhüttl. He could be forgiven for his lack of optimism, but Hasenhüttl has spent pre-season talking up new young signings such as Irish goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu and 19-year-old striker Sékou Mara.
Their first challenge is to prove that last season’s 3-2 win at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was no fluke, following defeats in their previous six away games against Spurs (in all competitions). It was the kind of result that, sadly, was rare for the almost-relegated Saints, who dropped more points (29) from winning positions than any other club in the 2021/22 Premier League. Hasenhüttl is targeting that as a key area of improvement, with Germany Under-21 international Armel Bella-Kotchap a significant reinforcement to his defence.
Players to watch: Son Heung-min has scored more goals (12) against Southampton than any other club worldwide, including in five of their last six appearances in this clash in all competitions. Meanwhile, Southampton picked up points on all four occasions (G3, E1) that Ché Adams scored this calendar year, including the winning goal against Spurs.
Key stat: Southampton were the only PL club last season to score at least four goals in the majority (58%) of their away fixtures.
Tottenham – Southampton : Betting Tips
Tottenham – Win Odds: 1.45
