Spurs missed out on a golden chance to enter the top four before the international break after Chelsea beat them 2-0 but Conte’s side are still very much the favourites to grab that final Champions League position.
While the other contenders have played 23 or even 24 matches, the Lilywhites have played only 20 and they are just two points off the fourth spot. This means if they can just win their games in hand then they can move into the third spot on the Premier League table.
The loss to Chelsea might have affected their morals but it’s done very little to diminish their chances of a top-four finish. Next up, they take on Southampton, a team who have had a mixed bag of fortunes this season.
Ideally, Spurs should be looking to pick up all three points from Wednesday’s game but the Saints have been slowly picking up pace. Southampton are currently 12th on the table and have lost just one out of their previous five league outings.
Thankfully, Tottenham are in great form themselves as are undefeated in their last 5 home matches in the Premier League so they will be going into this week’s match as the favourites.
Spurs team news vs Southampton:
Tottenham played and beat Brighton in the FA Cup during the weekend and in that game, Antonio Conte used a very strong starting line up. Since their next game vs Southampton is a must-win, we think the manager will try and make minimal changes to his first XI on Wednesday.
Versus Chelsea, Conte opted for a change in formation as he went with a 4-4-2 system but the manager should revert back to his usual 3-4-3 formation in midweek.
Eric Dier is still out with a thigh injury while Japhet Tanganga is ruled out with a knee injury so Ben Davies will partner Romero and Davinson Sanchez in central defence.
Hojbjerg and Harry Winks have been pairing up in central midfield in the absence of Oliver Skipp and they will once again start vs Southampton. Skipp is recovering from a groin injury and he’s not expected to be available for Wednesday’s game.
Harry Kane loving Spurs life with Antonio Conte as manager: “He’s been brilliant – I can’t speak highly enough of him as a coach or as a person. He’s really changed the mindset of a lot of players in the team”. ⚪️🇮🇹 #THFC pic.twitter.com/CZ5NJGwip6
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 6, 2022
Emerson Royal replaced Doherty as the right wing-back for the Brighton game and the former will hold onto his place for the Saints game as well.
Son’s return has been a huge boost for the Spurs manager so the front three are automatic selections as the South Korean starts alongside Kane and Lucas Moura.
January arrivals Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski came off the bench for the FA Cup game but we don’t think either of them will be getting starts on Wednesday. At best, they will come on as substitutes in the second half.
Spurs predicted line up vs Southampton:
Predicted Starting Line up(3-4-3): Lloris; Ben Davies, Romero, Davinson Sanchez; Reguilon, Hojbjerg, Winks, Emerson Royal; Son, Harry Kane, Lucas Moura.
Read: Not one but two pundits have backed this club to finish in the PL top-four.
Read: Pundit makes a bold claim regarding the Premier League top-four race.
Stats via Fotmob
