EPL Match Day 2 Preview: Tottenham vs Southampton

EPL Match Day 2 Preview: Tottenham vs Southampton

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Tottenham Hotspur will kick-start their 2022/23 Premier League season opener at home against Southampton on Saturday.

Tottenham will aim to get three points when they play Southampton at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday.

Spur’s summer has been busy in the transfer window bringing in six players, with Destiny Udogie on the verge of becoming their seventh signing. But results in pre-season were not ideal, as they failed to win two games while winning two others.

Southampton’s pre-season results somewhat mirrored those of Tottenham’s, with the Saints losing their final game 2-1 to Villarreal. But Ralph Hasenhuttl will be excited for the 2022/23 campaign after a solid summer transfer window that has seen them bring in six players, thus bolstering his squad considerably.

Tottenham manager Antonio Conte has a few pressing roster issues hampering his preparations ahead of Southampton game. Conte will be without the services of four first-team players due to injuries and suspension.

The major absentee for Tottenham is Richarlison, who will miss the match due to a suspension. In addition, Yves Bissouma (thigh) and Oliver Skipp (foot) are dealing with their respective fitness issues, with the former having to wait another week to make his full debut for Tottenham.

The Tottenham starting eleven should bear a familiar look to the 2021/22 season, with Hugo Lloris starting ahead of Fraser Forster between the sticks. Spurs will line up in a 3-4-3 formation in front of the French goalkeeper, with Cristian Romero, Eric Dier and Ben Davies forming the central defensive unit.

Head-To-Head-Stats

Southampton have picked up just three wins from their last twenty away Premier League games against Tottenham Hotspur (D2 L15).

Tottenham have won their first league match in six of the last nine seasons (D1 L2), having won their opening league game in just three of their sixteen seasons before this run.

Among current Premier League sides, Southampton are on the longest winless run in their opening Premier League matches of the season (P8 D4 L4).

This is Tottenham’s first home Premier League game at 3pm on Saturday in 973 days, since beating Burnley 5-0 in December 2019.

Southampton have won just one of their last 12 league games (D2 L9).

Southampton have won two of their last three away league games in London (L1), as many as they had in their previous nineteen in the capital (D6 L11).

Only Alan Shearer (14) and Andrew Cole (11) have scored more or as many Premier League goals against Southampton than Tottenham pair Harry Kane (11) and Son Heung-min (10).

Last season’s Premier League golden boot winner Son Heung-min has scored 12 goals in his last 10 league games for Tottenham.

New Tottenham signing Ivan Perisic was involved in nine goals in his last 10 league games for Inter Milan last season (3 goals, 6 assists).