Premier League Preview: Tottenham face banana skin at Southampton

This weekend, Tottenham face a potential banana skin as they travel to face relegation-threatened Southampton as Fraser Forster returns to his former club.

It’s been a tough few weeks for Antonio Conte and Spurs, as our form has certainly been something of a mixed bag. Domestically, Spurs have won four three of their last four, with key victories over West Ham, Chelsea, and Nottingham Forest helping keep up the chase for Champions League football next season as we currently occupy the fourth spot.

However, being knocked out of the Champions League and FA Cup in underwhelming fashion over the last few weeks has frustrated fans and sees pressure mounting on Conte.

Tottenham bounced back from several poor outings with a big win last weekend

That being said, supporters were treated to a fine display of football last weekend, as Spurs cruised to a comfortable win against Forest with Kane’s brace and a much-needed goal for Son helping seal the three points.

Moreover, Richarlison was crucial to each of Spurs’ goals, showing exactly why his tenacity and drive are so important to the side, whilst Forster made two phenomenal saves, including denying Andre Ayew from the penalty spot late on.

Hopefully, following a previously testing few weeks, this will give Spurs the confidence we need going into our final 11 games of the season, starting with a trip to the South Coast on Saturday.

Southampton a team desperate for Premier League points

The Saints sit rock bottom of the Premier League; however, their form has improved significantly over recent weeks, with two wins and a draw in their last five league games over Leicester, Chelsea, and Manchester United.

Having sacked Nathan Jones, Southampton is now led by their third manager of the season, as Ruben Selles has been appointed until the end of the season and appears to have the Saints playing more organised football.

Fans will likely remember the reverse fixture between Spurs and Southampton on the season’s opening day. Although we fell behind to a James Ward-Prowse’s goal, it was an enjoyable afternoon for those at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as we ran out as 4-1 winners.

While we can hope for much of the same, Southampton could be a different beast this time, as the relegation battle is well and truly underway, meaning they will be fighting for every point.

Just five points separate Southampton in 20th and Crystal Palace in 12th, meaning three points this weekend would almost certainly move the Saints out of the bottom three and relieve some of the pressure on Selles.

That being said, as Spurs fans will know all too well, the battle for European places is equally tight, with just eight points separating Man United in 3rd and Brighton in 7th.

Conte will likely deploy the same front three of Kane, Son, and Richarlison, knowing that scoring a couple of goals would likely seal the points, as Southampton is the league’s joint bottom scorers’ netting just 20 times all season.

Moreover, in a weekend where both Man United and Liverpool are out of action, this is the chance for Tottenham to put some vital points on the board as a win would see us go to third, albeit having played two games more than United.

That being said, it’s always better to have points on the board than games in hand, and Conte will know if he is to leave Tottenham at the end of the season on the high of a fourth-place finish, three points this weekend, will be crucial to doing so.