Premier League: Can Conte’s Spurs Avoid Another Saints Setback?

Tottenham Hotspur vs Southampton

There are big expectations for Tottenham Hotspur this Premier League season. After their impressive turnaround under Antonio Conte coupled with some key summer signings, Spurs look like the team most capable of challenging champions Manchester City and Liverpool at the top of the table.

Conte will be keen to get off to a good start to the season, and he will have quite a winnable opening fixture as Spurs host Southampton.

However, Ralph Hasenhuttl’s Saints avoided defeat in both meetings against Spurs last season and even got a big away win at the London Stadium.

Can Saints defy the Premier League 2022 betting odds once again and deny Conte’s Spurs an opening-day win?

Talking Points

Tottenham begin with title aspirations

Tottenham will head into their first full season under coach Antonio Conte with a lot of optimism. The Italian took charge in November and led an impressive in-season turnaround. Spurs went on to win eight of their last 11 Premier League matches to edge out north London rivals Arsenal for that coveted fourth Champions League spot.

Now, Conte and co. have their sights set on loftier goals, namely challenging Manchester City and Liverpool for the championship.

The dynamic duo of Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son was central to Spurs’ success yet again. The two combined for 40 goals and 16 assists, with Son winning a share of the Golden Boot with 23 goals. Kane and Son were also in outstanding form in pre-season as they combined for seven goals (five from Kane) and three assists (all from Son) in four games.

The addition of Dejan Kulusevski in January provided an ideal third attacker alongside Kane and Son, and the Swede – who had 5 goals and 8 assists in 18 games – should get the start against Saints with new signing Richarlison suspended.

Conte has fielded a settled 3-4-3 starting line-up during his time at Spurs, although newcomers Ivan Perisic and Clement Lenglet have made a case to break into the side with their strong pre-season play.

But while Perisic could be preferred to Ryan Sessegnon at left wing-back, Ben Davies seems to have recovered from injury and is the favourite to start at left centre-back ahead of Lenglet.

Saints set to start another tough season

Southampton finished 15th last season, the third time in four campaigns under Ralph Hasenhuttl that they’ve ranked 15th or lower in the league.

To be fair to Hasenhuttl, he hasn’t had the deepest or most talented squads at his disposal, and it’s been an achievement to keep them safe from relegation despite their shortcomings.

Hasenhuttl will have another tough job to keep Saints up this season, and it will be made harder by the departure of striker Armando Broja. The 19-year-old was one of Saints’ bright spots last season as he scored six goals in 32 appearances while on loan from Chelsea.

Meanwhile, right-back Tino Livramento – one of the best surprise signings of the season – is expected to miss the rest of 2022 due to a knee injury.

With Broja gone, Che Adams will likely be tasked to lead the line and produce some Premier League 2022 highlights for Saints. The 25-year-old Scot scored seven goals last season, second on the team behind skipper James Ward-Prowse, who had 10.

Saints did splash some cash this summer to strengthen their survival bid. They signed 19-year-old striker Sekou Mara from Bordeaux, as well attacking midfielder Joe Aribo, who played a crucial role in Rangers’ run to the Europa League final.

They also brought in defensive midfielder Romeo Lavia and goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu from Manchester City, as well as centre-back Armel Bella-Kotchap from Bochum.

But apart from Aribo, it’s unlikely any of Saints’ other new signings, who are all 20 years old or younger, will start in the season opener against Tottenham.

History

This will be Tottenham and Southampton’s 47^th Premier League showdown in total. Spurs own a sizable 24-14 edge over Southampton in wins, while they have drawn eight times.

Son Heung-Min has a stellar goalscoring record against Southampton. The South Korean has scored 12 goals in 15 games against Saints, by far the most he’s scored against any Premier League club. That includes his fantastic four-goal masterpiece in a 5-2 Spurs win back in September 2020.

However, Saints successfully avoided defeat in their two meetings against Spurs last season. After drawing 1-1 at St Mary’s in December, they stunned Spurs by grabbing a 3-2 win.

Saints came from behind to equalise twice through Armando Broja and Mohamed Elyounoussi. Che Adams then popped up to score the winner eight minutes from time. It was Saints’ first Premier League win at Tottenham since 2016.

Betting Tip

SBOTOP odds have Conte’s Tottenham as considerable 1.34 favourites to start their season with a home win. They are the biggest favourites out of the Premier League’s Saturday matches. Southampton are priced at 8.50 to win, while a Draw is 4.90.

While Saints did get a surprising amount of success against Tottenham last season, it’s hard to see slipping up again this year. Spurs are now more used to Conte’s system, which they showed towards the end of last year. Look for Spurs to come out of the gates quickly in their season opener, with Kane and Son leading them to a first-half advantage.

 

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