Bottom-half Southampton will be looking to defy the odds for the second Premier League game running when they entertain high-flying Tottenham Hotspur at St. Mary’s Stadium.
Southampton pulled off a stunning 3-2 victory at West Ham United on Boxing Day despite being pegged back twice to bring a run of six Premier League matches without a win to a halt (D3, L3). Presented with a rare opportunity to win back-to-back league fixtures, a feat they’ve only achieved once this season, the ‘Saints’ will fall back on their solid home record so far. Except for a narrow 1-0 loss to Wolverhampton in late September, Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men have avoided defeat in their remaining seven Premier League home fixtures this term (W2, D5), including the last five in a row (W2, D3). However, entertainment has been relatively sparse at St. Mary’s Stadium thus far, as only two of Southampton’s eight league games here have featured over 2.5 overall goals.
Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur have hit the ground running under the stewardship of new boss Antonio Conte, going unbeaten in all six Premier League matches since his arrival at the helm in November (W4, D2). ‘Spurs’ put cross-town rivals Crystal Palace to the sword on Boxing Day, cruising to a 3-0 victory, which means they’ve now netted 2+ goals in their last five top-flight outings on the trot. In fact, they’ve scored 12 goals across their last five Premier League games, more than they had in their previous 11 in the competition combined (9). That should inspire Tottenham’s bid to break a two-game winless away league streak (D1, L1) and avoid going three consecutive Premier League travels without scoring for the first time since April 2014. The fact that they’ve inflicted more Premier League defeats on Southampton (13) than any other side since the ‘Saints’ return to the top-flight in 2012 also comes in handy.
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