Southampton vs Tottenham: Premier League preview, team news, stats, predictions, kick-off time
Nathan Tella has completed his period of isolation for Covid-19 while Spurs have a doubt over Giovani Lo Celso; follow Southampton vs Tottenham in our dedicated live match blog; watch free match highlights on Sky Sports digital platforms and YouTube channel shortly after full-time.
Tuesday 28 December 2021 17:38, UK
Team news, stats and prediction ahead of Southampton vs Tottenham in the Premier League on Tuesday; kick-off 3pm.
Team news
Nathan Tella could return to the Southampton squad for the visit of Tottenham.
The young striker will have completed his spell of isolation after a recent positive Covid-19 test. Defenders Jack Stephens and Lyanco are still out due to the virus.
Southampton provisional squad: Forster, Caballero, Lewis, Walker-Peters, Perraud, Livramento, Salisu, Bednarek, Valery, Romeu, Ward-Prowse, Redmond, Djenepo, Smallbone, Tella, Elyounoussi, Diallo, S.Armstrong, Long, A.Armstrong, Adams, Broja, Walcott.
Tottenham have a doubt over Giovani Lo Celso for the trip to the south coast.
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The Argentinian picked up a calf injury in the warm down after Wednesday's Carabao Cup win over West Ham and was not involved against Crystal Palace on Boxing Day.
Antonio Conte says he will assess those players who played against Palace ahead of the quick 48-hour turnaround, with Ryan Sessegnon (hamstring) and Cristian Romero (hamstring) both out.
Tottenham provisional squad: Lloris, Gollini, Emerson, Sanchez, Tanganga, Doherty, Davies, Dier, Rodon, Reguilon, Hojbjerg, Ndombele, Winks, Skipp, Alli, Moura, Gil, Bergwijn, Kane, Lo Celso, Son, Scarlett.
How to follow
Follow Southampton vs Tottenham in our dedicated live match blog. Highlights will also be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel shortly after full-time.
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Last time out...
Jones Knows predicts...
Antonio Conte has got Tottenham motoring. Their direction of travel is towards the top-four. Conte has done what Conte does, makes teams fitter, better organised and puts his most talented players at the forefront of direct, dangerous attacks. Since he took the job, no team have a better defensive record in the Premier League than Spurs. They are working at an average of 0.5 goals conceded per 90 minutes. It's going to take something special from Saints to find a way through and although they netted three times at West Ham, I'm yet to be convinced about their ability to create quality chances from open play. A Tottenham win to nil is fancied at 11/4 with Sky Bet.
The man to get that winning goal just might be Lucas Moura, who is revelling playing with freedom in a swashbuckling attack with Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son. The Brazilian is being encouraged to play in more central areas - as seen by his goal and missed chance from just outside the six-yard box in the win over Crystal Palace where he had five shots on goal. The markets have yet to adjust to his new, more dangerous, position, so the 11/10 for him to have a shot on target against Saints is a price worth taking.
SCORE PREDICTION: 0-1
BETTING ANGLE: Lucas Moura to have a shot on target (11/10 with Sky Bet)
Opta stats
- Since their return to the Premier League in 2012, against no side have Southampton lost more games in the competition than they have vs Tottenham (13).
- Spurs have lost two of their last three Premier League away games against Southampton, after a six-game unbeaten run at St Mary's in the competition (W4 D2). They did win this exact fixture 5-2 last season, however.
- Southampton haven't won their final league game in any of the last 10 calendar years (D5 L5), since beating Huddersfield 4-1 in League One in 2010.
- Spurs have lost their final league game in just one of the last 12 calendar years (W7 D4), losing 3-1 at home to Wolves in 2018. Spurs are winless in their last three such games (D2 L1), though their last two wins in these matches both came against Southampton (4-1 in 2016, 5-2 in 2017).
- Southampton have lost just once at home in the Premier League this season (W2 D5), and are unbeaten in their last five at St Mary's (W2 D3). They last had a longer unbeaten home run in the competition between March and October 2016 (9 games).
- Tottenham Hotspur have failed to score in either of their last two away Premier League games, managing just 15 shots combined in those games. They haven't gone three without a goal on the road since March 2014 under Tim Sherwood.
- This is Tottenham's first Premier League away game in 51 days, since a 0-0 draw at Everton on 7th November. Excluding the 2019-20 season (with the lockdown enforced break), it's the longest gap any side has had between away games in a single campaign in the competition.
- Tottenham are unbeaten in their six Premier League games under Antonio Conte (W4 D2), and he could become the first manager in the club's history to go without defeat in their first seven league games in charge of the club.
- Tottenham striker Harry Kane has been involved in 16 goals in 11 Premier League starts against Southampton (10 goals, 6 assists). Kane had a hand in all five of Spurs' goals in their 5-2 win at St Mary's last season, scoring one and assisting each of Son Heung-min's four strikes.
- Son Heung-min has been involved in 12 goals in 11 Premier League games for Spurs against Southampton (9 goals, 3 assists), more than he has versus any other side in the competition.
