Southampton face a tough test to maintain their recent unbeaten run as they host Tottenham Hotspur at St. Mary’s on New Year’s Day.
Saints have climbed out of the bottom three with two wins and a draw over the festive period, and Ralph Hassenhuttl’s side are now fifteenth – four points clear of the relegation zone.
After securing consecutive victories over Aston Villa and Chelsea, Saints drew 1-1 with Crystal Palace in their previous game.
Despite enjoying the majority of the possession, along with the lion’s share of goalscoring opportunities, Southampton failed to find a winner against Palace.
Danny Ings continued his rich vein of form in front of goal with his eighth goal in nine league games and his fourteenth goal in all competitions this season.
Southampton have now scored in 22 of their last 24 home games in the Premier League, so Ings will fancy his chances of adding to his tally against Spurs.
Tottenham have been up and down in recent weeks, leaving them sixth in the table – five points off the top four.
After beating Brighton on Boxing Day, Mourinho’s men could only manage a draw with struggling Norwich in the previous round.
Spurs twice went behind at Carrow Road, but a Christian Eriksen free-kick and a late Harry Kane penalty rescued a point for the away side.
Remarkably, Tottenham have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last 17 away games in the Premier League.
With that being said, Spurs’ recent record against Saints is good. Tottenham have only lost twice in their previous 15 meetings with Southampton.
Tanguy Ndombele and Harry Kane scored as Spurs beat Saints earlier in the season, while Danny Ings also got on the scoresheet.
Ndombele showed glimpses of real quality in Tottenham’s draw with Norwich, so we could see the record-signing play a big role against Southampton.
Still, Son Heung-min remains suspended for Mourinho’s side, while first-choice goalkeeper Hugo Lloris remains sidelined through injury.
As for Southampton, Hasenhuttl has the majority of his squad to choose from, with Shane Long and Yan Valery the only doubts for the Saints.
When you couple Tottenham’s defensive record on the road with Southampton’s goalscoring form at home, both teams are likely to score on Wednesday. However, Spurs are expected to claim the points at St. Mary’s.
Forebet predicts that Tottenham will edge Southampton in a close battle.
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