England Premier League
Wednesday 21st April 2021
Kick off at 6pm BST
Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Match Preview:
Jose Mourinho is gone! The special one was sacked this week just six days before the club play in the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City as his 18 month tenure with the club came to an end.
Mourinho had taken over Tottenham when they were in the bottom half of the league given that they come into this game in 7th there has been improvements, but Mourinho admitted once upon a time that when he came to the side they were in a false position and are a much better team than their league status was showing. He was right of course because six months before he was appointed Tottenham were contesting in the final of the Champions League, this season they look likely to miss out.
In the dug out for this game is Ryan Mason who is aged just 29. Mason’s career was cut short for Tottenham after a fractured skull in 2017 and he later joined the coaching team, and here he is, in what has been quite an incredible story for him. Have a strong finish with Tottenham and win the Carabao Cup and who knows what lies ahead for Mason, this is his huge chance in the game one suspects.
Tottenham drew 2-2 with Everton last weekend, which was not their desired result but because both West Ham and Liverpool dropped points a top four finish cannot be ruled out just yet and Tottenham are 5 points behind their objective. This is a must win game though. Form has seen the club go 3 games without a win and their last victory in the league came against Aston Villa 1 month to the day of this game.
Southampton will be disappointed after they lost 1-0 against Leicester in the semi-finals of the FA Cup at the weekend. They are in 14th place with 36 points and despite some very low moments this season they will be safe now and are 9 points in front of the bottom three. Form has been poor with 3 defeats from their last four games and their last encounter ended in a 3-0 loss at 19th placed West Bromwich Albion. Recent away form has been dreadful with 4 defeats from their last five and overall the Saints have lost 50% of their games on the road.
Team News:
Tottenham: Matt Doherty will be assessed as he has some fitness issues. Ben Davies is still out with a knock.
Southampton: Michael Obafemi is nearing a return and could face a late test but he has a lack of match fitness.
Tottenham vs Southampton Head to Head:
Earlier in the season in the reverse fixture Tottenham beat Southampton 5-2.
Last season this fixture ended 2-1 to Tottenham.
Southampton haven’t won away in the league against Tottenham since 2016.
There is a 90% chance to see both teams to score.
Tottenham vs Southampton Prediction:
Ryan Mason’s possible brief time with Tottenham will either be an eye opener or a slow car crash, it really depends if he gets the backing of the bulk of the team with some players being the same age as him or even older. But this is a good match to start his interim position with and Tottenham certainly have the team to beat the Saints.
A top four place isn’t over although the club will also have one eye on the Carabao Cup final with Manchester City at the weekend, but these are the game where you can’t think about that and if Tottenham give it their all they should pick up 3 points. Players like Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son may not be happy that an experienced manager like Mourinho has been sacked but it is possible that some of the squad wanted him out, and that means that there could be a positive reaction here.
As for Southampton they have little to play for but at the same time they won’t feel 100% safe unless they win another game, which really should be enough but in the cold light of things, the club will surely be fine this season. They need to just buckle down and try and enjoy their football until the end of the season now.
Tottenham vs Southampton Betting Tips:
Tottenham to beat Southampton at 1.80
Anytime goalscorer: Harry Kane at 1.67
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