Tottenham Hotspur vs Southampton Preview: Spurs hoping to recover from poor form with a win

Mauricio Pochettino's side have only won two out of eight matches in all competitions this season. The Lilywhites have blown their leads in back-to-back games, against Olympiakos and Leicester, before suffering a shock defeat to League Two side Colchester United in the Carabao Cup.

This is a must-win match for Tottenham and Mauricio Pochettino, who is currently serving the worst period of his reign as Spurs boss. Failure to win on Saturday will put Pochettino under severe pressure before hosting Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Tuesday.

For Southampton, they will come into the match with on a high after thrashing rivals Portsmouth in their Carabao Cup fixture in midweek.

Previous Meetings

Southampton were victorious the last time the two sides met last season, Tottenham let slip a 1-0 lead at the St Mary's stadium, losing the game 2-1 in the last ten minutes.

Team News

Summer signings Giovani Lo Celso and Ryan Sessegnon remain on the sidelines through injury.

The Argentine is expected to return in November after suffering from a hip injury, meanwhile, Sessegnon is hopeful of returning earlier.

Southampton goalkeeper Alex McCarthy will undergo a late fitness test before being confirmed in the side travelling to North London.

New signing Moussa Djenepo remains sidelined with a thigh injury. The Saints will miss the 21-year-old who has scored two goals in his last three league matches.

Key Quotes

Tottenham striker Harry Kane recently described his side as 'unsettled' - a reason behind their disappointing form this season.

Christian Eriksen openly said he wanted to leave the club in the summer but failed to secure a transfer away from North London. His performances this season have been well below par, however, Kane has urged players who wanted to leave in the summer to remain focused on the club.

''Obviously in the transfer window just gone, there were players who maybe wanted to leave, and it was public knowledge that there were players close to leaving who stayed.

''So it’s never easy when you have a situation like that, but now that’s closed, we all just want to move in the right direction.

''Whoever is on the pitch has to give everything for the club, that’s all we can ask for. You have to kind of put your individual needs to one side and make sure you’re performing to the highest level, because that will help your individual status anyway.

''We’re training well, doing everything right, but maybe we haven’t started games with the right energy.

''We just need to find a way to get that good feeling back. We just need to get off that form, start fresh, get off to winning ways on Saturday and take that momentum forward.''