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The Tottenham Hotspur travel south to face Southampton in what is sure to be a great midweek soccer game. The game will kick off at 2:45 pm ET on Wednesday December 28th at St, Maryís and can be watched on NBCS.
Both teams are looking to extend their winning streaks, Southampton are on a three-game winning streak after defeating Bournemouth 3-1 on the road. This was their second road win of the season and the first one of their last 6 away games. But this time they are home, and their home record is a lot more impressive, having won 4 out of the last 6 home games.
Tottenham is looking for their third straight win as they are on a two-game winning streak. Those two wins however, were at home; they will have a tougher time on the road. The Spurs have not won a single road game during their last 5 away matches. In their defense, the last 2 loses on the road were against Chelsea and Manchester United. But under no circumstances should we disregard how powerful the Saints are at home, this season they have only been defeated at home by Chelsea. The last time the Spurs suffered 3 away defeats, was back in March of 2014 and I donít believe they are looking to relive that experience now.
The Tottenham Hotspurs are in 5th place in the Premier League going into this match, Southampton is in the 8th position but they are 9 points behind. The North London team won 6 out of the last 7 games between them, but the Southampton Saints managed to end that losing streak by winning 2-1 the last time they played the Spurs, and they did it while on the road.
For this match, Oriol Romeu will be back on the field after serving a one game suspension, but it is not all good news for Southampton as fellow midfielder Jordy Clasie is not expected to play due to a groin injury. Also, full-back Matt Targett (hamstring) continues to be on the injury list as is striker Charlie Austin who injured his shoulder, as of yet, there is no estimated date for them to return to the field.
Mousa Dembele and Toby Alderweireld†will be back on the field for Tottenham after recuperating from a foot and back injury respectively; Vincent Janssen is expected to sit this game out as he continues to recover from his ankle problem. Another absentee for the Hotspur is Erik Lamela, his return to the field is still uncertain after suffering from a sore hip.
This game should be a close one, on paper the Tottenham Hotspur seem to be a better team, they are ahead in the general standings and lead the Saints by 9 points, not to mention that historically they have the upper hand on their opponent, however, this season the Southampton Saints are a force to be reckon with when playing at home. Tottenham is known for creating a lot of chances during their matches, but they are terrible on the road and have failed to capitalize on those chances, the Saints strong performances at home will mean they block most if not all of those chances.
Pick:
Because of this, I strongly believe the game will end in a draw, but the total should go under the 2.5 line listed at Ace Sportsbook.
Check out the latest sports gambling lines and odds at AceSportsbook.com.
