Premier League preview and odds: Southampton vs Tottenham Hotspur

Published on: 28/12/2016

Premier League preview and odds: Southampton vs Tottenham Hotspur

December 27, 2016 20:00pm - St.Mary`s Stadium

Referee: TBC

Premier League

Eighth-ranked Southampton will look to extend their unbeaten run to four games when they welcome fifth-ranked Tottenham Hotspur to St. Mary`s Stadium on Wednesday night. The visitors themselves will be keen to break their five-game winless streak away from home.

Saints can go seventh with a win

A run of 13 games featuring six wins, four draws and just three defeats has kept Southampton in the hunt for the European qualification places. A win on Wednesday night would move them to within six points of their fifth-placed opponents.

In the last 12 months only Chelsea have beaten the Saints at St. Mary`s Stadium in the Premier League and only four teams have claimed a point on the South Coast. They come into this game on the back of an impressive 3-1 win away to AFC Bournemouth.

On home soil, Claude Puel`s men have not conceded in any of their last three matches and only Chelsea and Spurs have better defensive records overall.

Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotpsur have fallen 13 points adrift of the leaders in the title race and will be hoping to reduce that gap with a win on Wednesday night.

Mauricio Pochettino`s men have not won any of their last five away games, a run that stretches back to September. Overall, they have won just two of their last 10 Premier League away games. However, they were the last team other than Chelsea to win a Premier League match at St. Mary`s.

Team news

The home side will once again be hampered by injuries with Jordy Clasie (groin), Charlie Austin (shoulder), Jake Hesketh (ankle), Matt Targett (hamstring) and Jeremy Pied (knee) all out of action, while Alex McCarthy remains a doubt with a hamstring issue.

Meanwhile, the visitors will be without Erik Lamela who is still recovering from a hip problem, while Mousa Dembele (foot) and Vincent Janssen (ankle) could also miss out.

Recent form (League):

Southampton: WDWLW

Tottenham Hotspur: WWLWL

Betting odds and tips

The Saints have a great record at home, while Spurs have struggled on the road in recent weeks, so the home win looks tempting at a price of 15/8. Both sides can boast mean defences so a low-scoring game is also on the cards.

You can back Southampton/Under 2.5 Goals at 19/4.

By Neil Morris

Published on: 28/12/2016

Any odds displayed within this preview were correct at the time of publishing (28/12/2016 12:21:25) but are subject to change.