Raphael Durand
Dailysports's expert
One of the matches of the 31st round of the English Championship will take place on Sunday in London, where local team Tottenham will host Southampton. I suggest betting on goals in this clash, which has a good chance of success.
Match preview
Ange Postecoglou's team is going through tough times, failing to earn points in two consecutive away derbies. First, the Spurs lost to Fulham (0:2), and then narrowly to Chelsea (0:1). Home games before that also didn't bring success – a defeat to Manchester City (0:1) and a hard-fought draw with Bournemouth (2:2). The Londoners are stuck in 14th position, but thanks to a solid 14-point cushion, they need not fear a relegation battle.
Meanwhile, the team remains one of the most prolific in the EPL – only Liverpool (55 goals) has surpassed them in terms of goals scored. The recent match stats are not encouraging for the fans – the Spurs have failed to win in 11 of 14 league matches (2 draws, 9 losses), clearly signaling form issues.
In the last round, the Saints were on the verge of a long-awaited home victory but let three points slip in stoppage time, allowing Crystal Palace to equalize (1:1). Ivan Juric's team not only lost vital points but also extended their winless streak in the EPL to six matches. Before this draw, Southampton endured five consecutive defeats with a dismal goal difference of 3:16.
The situation is now extremely critical: two more defeats in the upcoming rounds will officially send the team to the Championship. The Saints' away record only highlights their problems – in their last 22 away Premier League matches, they have managed just one win (4 draws, 17 losses).
Probable line-ups
- Tottenham: Guglielmo Vicario, Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Destiny Udogie, Djed Spence, Rodrigo Bentancur, James Maddison, Lucas Bergvall, Son Heung-min, Wilson Odobert, Dominic Solanke
- Southampton: Aaron Ramsdale, Jack Stephens, Jan Bednarek, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Kyle Walker-Peters, Adam Lallana, Lesley Ugochukwu, Ryan Manning, Kamaldeen Sulemana, Mateus Fernandes, Paul Onuachu
Match facts and head-to-head
- In the first round, Tottenham defeated their opponent 5:0
- The "total over 2.5" bet has won in the last 4 matches
- The "Both teams to score" bet has won in seven of the last eight matches
Prediction
Bookmakers give Southampton no chance, offering a modest 1.40 odds on a home win. Given the recent head-to-head statistics, I suggest going for "Both teams to score" at odds of 1.65.
