A battered and bruised Tottenham require three points on the south coast this weekend as they take on Southampton.

Ange Postecoglou’s side are winless since their 4-0 thumping of Manchester City last month, but there have been mitigating circumstances. The Lilywhites are awfully depleted in defence, with the absences of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven sparking a litany of tactical concerns.

Spurs’ recent malaise means they’re 11th in the table heading into the weekend’s games, but a win on Sunday could see them climb into the top half. They’re only six points adrift of Nottingham Forest in fifth having played one game fewer.

Southampton have won just once in the Premier League upon their return to the top flight, with Russell Martin struggling to enjoy the same success with his possession-oriented ideals as he did in the Championship.

The Saints are rooted to the foot of the table and are already eight points behind 17th-place Crystal Palace.

Here is 90min’s guide to Sunday’s Premier League clash.

Southampton vs Tottenham H2H Record (Last Five Games)

Current form (all competitions)

Martin has confirmed Adam Lallana, Paul Onuachu and Jan Bednarek are all back in contention following relatively brief injury layoffs. Onuachu impressed in the 3-2 defeat to Liverpool and could trouble an undermanned Tottenham defence on Sunday.

Lallana isn’t expected to immediately return to the Saints’ XI, but Bednarek should come into Martin’s five-man backline.

Jack Stephens is suspended following his red card against Chelsea, while Aaron Ramsdale, Will Smallbone, Juan Larios, Ross Stewart and Gavin Bazunu remain absent.

Southampton predicted lineup vs Tottenham (5-2-1-2): Lumley; Walker-Peters, Harwood-Bellis, Wood, Bednarek, Manning; Downes, Fernandes; Dibling; Armstrong, Onuachu.

Postecoglou is going to have to do some serious shuffling on Sunday. With Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma both suspended, Archie Gray is the most obvious candidate to start at the base of midfield. However, Spurs’ injuries at centre-back mean Gray will likely have to partner Radu Dragusin again having done so at Ibrox in midweek. Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Ben Davies are all sidelined.

Lucas Bergvall has shown flashes in recent cameos and could make his first Premier League start this weekend, while Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski are sure bets to return to the team after combining for Thursday’s equalising goal.

The visitors are also without Richarlison, Mikey Moore, Wilson Odobert and Guglielmo Vicario.

Tottenham predicted lineup vs Southampton (4-3-3): Forster; Spence, Dragusin, Gray, Udogie; Sarr, Kulusevski, Bergvall; Johnson, Solanke, Son.

Tottenham need this one. Sunday’s visitors have slid into the bottom half of the table, and while Postecoglou’s squad is depleted, factions of the fanbase are starting to grow impatient.

Defeat to a poor Southampton side will doubtlessly lead to an even greater divide among supporters and a decline in support for the manager ahead of a huge Carabao Cup quarter-final.

The Saints have shown glimpses, but their knack for shooting themselves in the foot should aid a Tottenham team that press from the front pretty well. This could be a back and forth affair with the desperate visitors eking out a victory.

Prediction: Southampton 2-3 Tottenham

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