Mark Lawrenson has backed Tottenham Hotspur to beat Southampton 2-0 this evening.
Pundit Mark Lawrenson has told BBC Sport that he thinks Tottenham Hotspur will beat Southampton 2-0 at St. Mary’s Stadium this evening.
Hosts Southampton head into the game having beaten Bournemouth 3-1 ten days ago, with Jay Rodriguez scoring twice as he looks to step up in Charlie Austin’s absence.
That result means that it’s now just one defeat in the last six Premier League games for Claude Puel’s side, with the Saints winning three of those games.
General view inside St Mary’s Stadium
Tonight, Southampton play host to their former manager as Mauricio Pochettino returns to the South Coast with his Tottenham side having left St. Mary’s Stadium in the summer of 2014.
Pochettino saw his side beat Burnley 2-1 at White Hart Lane before Christmas, and having won four of their last six league games, Spurs will be hoping to keep the pressure on the top four with another win tonight.
Mark Lawrenson
Both sides possess mean defences, as Southampton have conceded just 16 goals this season, and only two teams have conceded fewer; league leaders Chelsea with 11, and tonight’s opponents Tottenham with 12.
Ahead of tonight’s game, pundit Mark Lawrenson has told BBC Sport that he thinks Tottenham will claim a 2-0 win, which would give Spurs a third clean sheet in five games.
Lawrenson did note that he thinks Southampton will cope without Charlie Austin, but doesn’t think they will break down the Spurs defence – and even claims that Tottenham will go on a run of results having won their last two fixtures.
“The good thing from Southampton’s point of view is that it does not look like they will miss injured striker Charlie Austin – they have a few other options up front,” said Lawrenson. “Jay Rodriguez and Sofiane Boufal have done well recently and I think Shane Long gives a lot for the team too – he is not a regular goalscorer but he would chase a paper bag down the street all day for you, even in a hurricane.”
“Saints will be a test for Tottenham on Mauricio Pochettino’s return to his old club, but his Spurs side have won their past two games and I just get the impression that they might just go on a bit of a run again now,” he added.
What’s your prediction for Southampton v Tottenham?
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