Football.London

Ange Postecoglou has made five changes to his Tottenham Hotspur side to face Bournemouth on Sunday in the Premier League.

Spurs take on the bottom side having dropped themselves to 12th place in the table. Postecoglou's men have gone through a tough spell of results with so many players missing and that only gets worse for the trip to St Mary's as Yves Bissouma joins Rodrigo Bentancur on the suspension list, with Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Guglielmo Vicario, Ben Davies, Richarlison and Wilson Odobert all out injured and Mikey Moore recovering from illness.

The lack of centre-backs means 18-year-old midfielder Archie Gray continues alongside Radu Dragusin in the middle of the defence and with Bissouma and Bentancur suspended, the number six role is handed to Lucas Bergvall, who makes his first Premier League start for the north London outfit.

Tottenham have had to rotate in other areas after the tough midweek draw at Rangers and Djed Spence makes his first competitive start for the north London side. Brennan Johnson drops to the bench, which is made up of five teenagers with two of them just 16-years-old and another 17-year-old.

Here is the Spurs team Postecoglou has selected to face the Saints:

Forster; Spence, Gray, Dragusin, Udogie; Sarr, Bergvall, Maddison; Kulusevski, Solanke, Son. Subs: Austin, Porro, Dorrington, King, Hardy, Olusesi, Johnson, Werner, Lankshear.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham by clicking here for in-depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

TV channel

Tottenham supporters not heading to St Mary's for this evening's game will still be able to watch all the action live on TV in the UK.

TNT Sports 1 is the place to be, with live coverage of the 7pm kick-off commencing from 6pm.

As ever, you can keep with us right here in our live matchday blog as we bring you updates from the game on the south coast.

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of Tottenham's Premier League clash against Southampton.

It is a huge night of football for Ange Postecoglou and his side as they look to claim a much-needed victory following a poor run of late.

Keep with us over the next few hours as we bring you all the latest from the south coast ahead of the 7pm kick-off at St Mary's.

Crystal Palace co-owner David Blitzer reportedly wants to take sole control of another Premier League club, with Tottenham Hotspur potentially being available to purchase.

Blitzer and fellow American investor Josh Harris own an estimated 18 per cent each of the Eagles. Club chairman Steve Parish has around a 10 per cent stake, with John Textor being Palace's largest shareholder at 45 per cent and Roberto Franco owning around five per cent.

Textor seemingly has similar ideas as Blitzer is said to possess, speaking openly about an intention to buy his co-owners out or sell up to own another club outright, notably talking up trying to buy Everton from Farhad Moshiri. However, The Friedkin Group has now agreed to buy them, reportedly receiving Premier League approval this week.

The Sun journalist Alan Nixon cites sources in the United States when claiming Blitzer wants to lead a bid to buy another Premier League club, approaching a decade after buying into Palace, reporting that Spurs may be available 'if the deal is right'. Alongside business partner Harris, their management company Harris Blitzer Sports Entertainment were financing the Sir Martin Broughton-led offer to takeover Chelsea from Roman Abramovich but lost out to Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.

The company also tried to buy the MLB's New York Mets before Harris purchased the NFL's Washington Commanders, with Blitzer part of that ownership group. Harris Blitzer Sports Entertainment, though, already owns the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers and the NHL's New Jersey Devils and has a minority stake in the NASCAR team Joe Gibbs Racing.

Harris co-owns the MLS' Real Salt Lake while having a stake in MLB's Cleveland Guardians. Forbes estimates the businessman's net worth at £2.46billion.

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy acknowledged in the club's latest financial results that "the board and its advisors, Rothschild & Co, are in discussions with prospective investors." The statement in April explained they were doing this because: "to continue to invest in the teams and undertake future capital projects, the club requires a significant increase in its equity base."

Marc Cucurella and Puma have launched a new genius campaign after the Chelsea star couldn't stop slipping in their win over Tottenham last weekend.

Spurs had taken a 2-0 lead within 11 minutes. Both goals were gifts from the Spain left-back - as he endured two blooper slips which opened up the space for Tottenham's runners.

After Dejan Kulusevski tucked away the second goal to put Chelsea in a difficult position early on, Cucurella had found the problem. He subsequently ran over to the dugout to change his boots.

Six minutes later, the Euro 2024 winner would go and assist Chelsea's first goal - and the Blues went on to score four goals against their London rivals so, by the final whistle, it looked as though his change of studs had worked.

After the victory, which took Enzo Maresca's men to second in the Premier League table, Cucurella was in good spirits and made a joke about his "broken" boots. Indeed, he posted a picture of his Puma's in the bin.

Although it could have been a marketing disaster for the German sports brand, they took it as an opportunity to have a bit of fun.

Puma took to social media to post an image of Cucurella stood next to a "Caution wet floor' sign - which had been customised to feature the Spaniard's iconic hairstyle. It was posted with the caption: "It's not how you slip, it's how you bounce back."

Harry Kane has named ex-teammate Son Heung-min as the one Tottenham Hotspur player he would want Bayern Munich to sign, were he given the choice.

Devastated was the word the day Kane's departure for Bayern Munich was announced. In the summer of 2023, the club's record goalscorer was confirmed to have made the £120m switch to Germany as he 'felt it was the time to leave' North London.

Not just Kane alone has been missed at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but also the partnership he struck with fellow attacker Son.

Playing together between the 2015/16 and 2022/23 seasons, they shared the field 297 times. Twenty-eight of the Englishman's goals were assisted by the South Korean, and 26 vice versa to form what is statistically the Premier League's deadliest partnership in history.

Spurs have been left with Son, who plays alongside new attackers Dominic Solanke, Dejan Kulusevski, Brennan Johnson, Richarlison and Timo Werner.

However, if it were up to Kane then Bayern would be attempting another raid on the club in order to re-form his old double act.

Via BILD's Nico Linner, attending a supporters' club event the former Spurs captain was asked who he would like to bring to the Allianz Arena. "Sonny," was the one-word response he gave.

At the moment there is a very real possibility that could happen next summer, with Son's contract due to expire at the end of the season. He has most recently been linked with rivals Manchester United.

At 32 years of age, he has three goals and four assists this season with the team languishing in 12th in the Premier League.

From January 1, 2025, he will be able to negotiate contract terms with foreign clubs to begin once his Spurs deal terminates.

Tottenham Hotspur are now due to take on a Wolverhampton Wanderers team with a new head coach in their final match of the year, after the Midlands outfit sacked Gary O'Neil following their late defeat to Ipswich Town.

The move comes days after chairman Jeff Shi backed the now-former manager following a defeat against West Ham United. However, after that brief reprieve, Shi has decided to make a change after a fourth straight reverse.

Everton also beat Wolves 4-0 earlier this month, while Bournemouth scored four in their previous match in a 4-2 verdict. That run abruptly ended a four-game unbeaten streak, which included wins vs Fulham and Southampton.

However, they are their only two wins of the campaign, meaning Wolves remain in the Premier League relegation zone. They are four points away from Crystal Palace in 17th place, a gap that could grow to five if they avoid defeat against Brighton and Hove Albion.

Four points also separates them from rock-bottom Southampton, who have yet to play their game against Spurs this weekend. Tottenham are one of three teams yet to play Wolves this season and are due to do so in their final match of the calendar year.

That is a fortnight away - with Wolves playing Leicester City and Manchester United before then. Those weeks will presumably give them time to make a permanent appointment, meaning Spurs may have to guard against the new manager 'bounce' when they welcome them over the festive period.

Tottenham Hotspur have hinted that Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke will return to the team at Southampton after their contributions as substitutes against the Rangers.

Both dropped to the bench for the midweek Europa League match before entering the game to combine for Spurs' equalising goal. The pair scored in their previous game against Chelsea and now appear set to be back from the off for their next Premier League outing.

Solanke had played the full 90 minutes in all but one of the team's matches since the November international break, only missing the draw with Fulham due to illness. Kulusevski played a limited part in that 1-1 draw, too, after only appearing as a substitute after Tom Cairney equalised.

The club's official social media channels have featured each player in separate graphics ahead of the Southampton match. First, on Friday, Kulusevski appeared in a post about the trip to the south coast being next up for Spurs.

However, the player was also in the same image before the European game and ultimately did not start. But in an image on Thursday, Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, Radu Dragusin and Solanke all featured, with just the latter missing out.

He is again in the latest edition alongside Brennan Johnson, Pedro Porro and Yves Bissouma - even though the latter cannot play in the match because of a one-game suspension for yellow card accumulation. All but Solanke started in Glasgow, with Bissouma and Johnson withdrawn around the hour mark.

Spurs head coach Ange Postecoglou faces further difficult decisions about rotating the team this week. Following this Sunday's match, a midweek League Cup quarter-final at home to Manchester United will follow on Thursday. They remain in north London next weekend when Premier League leaders Liverpool visit the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham by clicking here for in-depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

With just one win in their last eight games, Tottenham will be desperate for three points when they take on bottom-of-the-league Southampton in the Premier League this evening.

Spurs failed to win for a third game in a row in the Europa League midweek, with Dejan Kulusevski scoring in a 1-1 draw with Rangers, leaving the Lilywhites outside the automatic qualification spots for the knockouts. Alongside their poor Premier League form that has left Spurs 11th in the table heading into the weekend, anything less than three points against Southampton later today would see the pressure mount on Ange Postecoglou.

Spurs don't have the best record against Southampton in recent years, winning just one of their last four meetings against the Saints. Both Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven will be absent once again for the Lilywhites, while Yves Bissouma is suspended after accumulating five yellow cards.

So, can Spurs pick up a much-needed three points later today? Let's take a look.

We simulated Southampton vs Spurs to get a score prediction

To complete this simulation, we used EA FC 25 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions.

We predict that the Saints could set up in a 3-5-2 formation, with their line-up as follows: McCarthy; Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Wood; Walker-Peters, Fernandes, Downes, Manning; Dibling, Onuachu, Armstrong.

We predict that Spurs could line up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their starting XI as follows: Forster; Spence, Gray, Dragusin, Udogie; Sarr, Bergvall, Maddison; Kulusevski, Solanke, Son.

Postecoglou's side were on top in the opening stages, with Kulusevski and Heung-Min Son both testing the 'keeper early on in what was a bright start from Spurs. Alex McCarthy made some big saves in the opening 10 minutes with Southampton under pressure, but as they have done so often this season, the hosts were their own worst enemy as Spurs made it 1-0.

Flynn Downes was caught in possession on the edge of the box as Southampton tried to play out of the back, with James Maddison making the challenge before poking the ball forward to Dominic Solanke. The striker used his body to shield the ball away from the defender before firing into the far corner, making it 1-0 to the Lilywhites.

Spurs doubled their lead just before the break to head into half-time with a healthy lead, with Destiny Udogie's cross towards the back post being headed in by Kulusevski. Despite being in a strong position, it was Southampton who dominated the second half, with Fraser Forster making some big saves to deny the hosts a way back into the game.

But, with three minutes to go, Spurs managed to grab a third to destroy any hope of a comeback.

A turnover in possession allowed Spurs to hit Southampton on the break, with Kulusevski threading a pass through for Son to chase. The winger cut inside onto his right foot and curled a shot into the bottom corner in what proved to be a comfortable win on the south coast.

EA FC 25 predicted final score: Southampton 0-3 Spurs

Ange Postecoglou needs his Tottenham Hotspur players to get back to winning ways as they travel to the Premier League's bottom side Southampton on Sunday night.

Spurs have dropped to 12th place in the table and need to grab three points if they are to start climbing back up a tightly-packed bunch. Postecoglou's men have gone through a tough spell of results with so many players missing and that only gets worse for the trip to St Mary's.

Yves Bissouma joins Rodrigo Bentancur on the suspension list, with Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Guglielmo Vicario, Ben Davies, Richarlison and Wilson Odobert all out injured and Mikey Moore recovering from illness.

The lack of centre-backs means 18-year-old midfielder Archie Gray is likely to continue alongside Radu Dragusin and Postecoglou must find a new number six to face the Saints after Bissouma and Bentancur shared the role for much of this season. That could see either Pape Matar Sarr or Lucas Bergvall handed the job.

Tottenham must rotate in other areas after the tough midweek draw at Rangers and it could be a first chance for the fans to see Djed Spence start a competitive match for the north London side.

Here is the Spurs team we reckon Postecoglou could select for the game at Southampton:

Tottenham will be looking to get back to winning ways in the Premier League when they return to action on Sunday.

Ange Postecoglou ’s men make the journey to the south coast to take on Southampton. Spurs will go into the match as favourites with the Saints currently sitting bottom of the Premier League, having won one and drew two of their opening 15 games.

For Tottenham it is a chance to bounce back from what has been a disappointing run of results. The team are winless since beating Man City 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium last month.

Thursday night saw them come from behind to draw 1-1 with Rangers in the Europa League group stage. Dejan Kulusevski ’s 75th minute goal saw them take a point from the game.

But it’s now back to domestic action. Before any of the weekend’s Premier League games, Spurs sit in 11th place in the table but will be hoping the position improves by the end of the weekend.

Here is everything you need to know about following Sunday’s clash against Southampton.

When is the game?

The match takes place on Sunday, 15 December, 2024 with kick-off at 7pm. It will be played at Southampton’s St Mary’s Stadium.

Is it on TV?

Yes, the game has been selected for broadcast and will be shown live on TNT Sports 1 and TNT Sports Ultimate. The build-up will start at 6pm.

TNT Sports customers will be able to stream the game online or on their mobile devices via the Discovery+ website and app.

Highlights of the match will be available shortly after full-time on the Sky Sports website and the Sky Sports Scores app. And the game will be featured on Match of the Day 2 which is shown on BBC One and BBC iplayer at 10.30pm on Sunday night.

How else can I follow?

Live national radio commentary of the game will be available on TalkSPORT.