Tottenham Hotspur vs Southampton
English Premier League, KO: 15:00 Aug 6, 2022, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Tottenham Hotspur begin their Premier League campaign with a home fixture against Southampton on Saturday. Both teams endured contrasting conclusions to the 2021-22 campaign and given their transfer business this summer, that gulf in quality is likely to be evident in this season opener.
Antonio Conte is set for his first full campaign in charge of Tottenham after leading the team to a top four finish following his arrival midway through the season. Spurs went on an impressive run of just one defeat in their final 11 matches to see off the challenge of Arsenal and clinch Champions League football on the final day.
Following a full preseason campaign that included intense, vomit-inducing training and just one defeat in four matches, Tottenham Hotspur appear to be ready for the new campaign. A comfortable home win on the opening weekend is likely to give them confidence and set the tone for the rest of their campaign.
One important thing for Spurs is that they held on to the deadly duo Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son while also making additions in key areas of the squad. They have brought in the likes of Ivan Perisic, Clement Lenglet and Djed Spence, although fellow new signing Richarlison is set to miss Saturday’s opener due to suspension.
Having spent three seasons with Southampton, Ralph Hassenhuttl has become part of the furniture at St Mary’s. However, the manager has posted declining points haul in each of his three campaigns with last term’s 40 points the lowest of the lot.
One of the reasons for last season’s disappointing points total was a string of poor performances in the second half of the campaign where they claimed just one win in their final six matches. Judging by preseason where they claimed just one win from five friendly matches, their problems appear to have remained.
How the bookies view it
The bookies have Tottenham Hotspur as overwhelming favourites with a home win priced at 4/11 with Unibet. An unlikely victory for Southampton is valued at 8/1 by William Hill while a draw is set at odds of 4/1 by Paddy Power.
Recent head to head
Southampton were surprisingly unbeaten against Tottenham Hotspur last season, playing out a 1-1 draw at home before winning 3-2 in London. However, Spurs generally have a good record in this fixture and have won six of the last seven meetings at home.
Players to watch
As always, all eyes will be on Heung-Min Son and Harry Kane, who have formed an almost telepathic understanding for Tottenham Hotspur over the years. BetVictor has Son at 6/5 to score anytime while Harry Kane is priced at 21/20 by Coral in the same market.
Southampton look light in attack at the moment so much will be dependent on Che Adams this season. The striker was on target in the win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last term and is priced at 17/5 by SBK to find the net on Saturday.
Anything else catch the eye?
Tottenham Hotspur are likely to claim a comfortable victory on Saturday and could be backed in the -1 handicap market at 10/117 with Paddy Power. The hosts are also expected to be generally dominant and could be tipped to score in both halves at evens with Unibet.
The last meeting between Spurs and Southampton produced over 3.5 goals and a similar outcome is priced at 8/5 with SBK.
This English Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton will be played on Aug 6, 2022 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Tottenham Hotspur vs Southampton prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
