Match Preview: Saints vs Spurs

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

For Southampton, it’s the chance to climb back into seventh position in the table, having dropped to eighth on Boxing Day.

They’ll need a victory to leapfrog Everton again, while a win would cut the gap between them and Spurs, who are fifth, to six points.

Claude Puel's side head into the fixture in good form, having picked up seven points from their last three Premier League matches.

Tottenham can’t climb any higher than their current position, but they would move a point behind north London rivals Arsenal if they can prevail.

Mauricio Pochettino's men are also high on confidence, having picked up maximum points from their last two top-flight matches.

TEAM NEWS

Southampton: Midfielder Jordy Clasie is set to miss the game, because of a groin injury, while Charlie Austin remains a long-term absentee following shoulder surgery, and Matt Targett is also sidelined. Other than that, though, Claude Puel has a full complement of players to choose from, with Oriol Romeu returning from suspension.

Tottenham: Spurs should welcome back former Southampton defender Toby Alderweireld, who missed their win against Burnley last time out with a back problem. Mouse Dembele is also available after a foot problem. Vincent Janssen could be fit again, following an ankle problem, and Danny Rose is expected to be back after a thigh complaint, but Erik Lamela remains out with a hip issue.

FORM GUIDE

Southampton’s last five:

Bournemouth (a) W 3-1

Stoke (a) D 0-0

Middlesbrough (h) W 1-0

Hapoel Be’er Sheva (h) D 1-1 (Europa League)

Crystal Palace (a) L 0-3

Tottenham’s last five:

Burnley (h) W 2-1

Hull (h) W 3-0

Manchester United (a) L 0-1

CSKA Moscow (h) W 3-1 (Champions League)

Swansea (h) W 5-0

TOP PERFORMERS

Charlie Austin remains Southampton’s top scorer, with nine goals this season, but Jay Rodriguez’s double in the 3-1 win at Bournemouth has moved him up to second place, on four goals for the campaign. Following his assist for Rodriguez’s first goal at Vitality Stadium, Steven Davis has moved joint top of the charts in that category.

Top scorers: Charlie Austin (9), Jay Rodriguez (4), Nathan Redmond (3)
Most assists: Steven Davis, James Ward-Prowse (2)

Harry Kane might not have found the net in any of his last three matches, but he remains Tottenham’s undoubted danger man, with nine goals across all competitions this term. Saints won’t have to worry about Erik Lamela, who is out, but they will have to be wary of the creative threat also posed by Christian Eriksen, who is performing well in both the goals and assists charts.

Top scorers: Harry Kane (9), Christian Eriksen (7), Son Heung-Min (6)
Most assists: Erik Lamela (6), Christian Eriksen (5)

PREVIOUS MEETINGS

All-time record:

Played: 117
Southampton: 37
Draws: 29
Tottenham: 51

Last five meetings:

May 2016: Tottenham 1-2 Southampton (Davis 2)
December 2015: Southampton 0-2 Tottenham
April 2015: Southampton 2-2 Tottenham (Pellè 2)
October 2014: Tottenham 1-0 Southampton
March 2014: Tottenham 3-2 Southampton (Rodriguez, Lallana)

DID YOU KNOW?

Southampton's 2-1 win over Spurs in May ended a run of seven Premier League games without beating them

Spurs are winless in five Premier League away games, losing the last two (D3 L2). They haven't lost three successive away games in the competition since March 2014 under Tim Sherwood.
Saints haven't conceded a home goal in five hours and five minutes of Premier League football.

NOT AT THE GAME?

Tickets for the match are sold out, although you can still check the Ticket Exchange to see if any seats become available.

If you can’t make it, we will have our in-depth live match centre running on southamptonfc.com, while you can also keep up-to-date on our social channels:

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