Tottenham Hotspur face Southampton at St Mary's Stadium on Saturday with a place in the fifth round of the FA Cup on the line.
Spurs have struggled for momentum under Jose Mourinho and are without back-to-back wins since November, while Southampton have hit top form with six wins in their last eight.
Match preview
© Reuters
Tottenham may have picked up a first win in five Premier League outings last time out, but they were far from convincing in their 2-1 victory over Norwich City.
The top flight's bottom side pegged Spurs back with 20 minutes remaining - Teemu Pukki's penalty cancelling out a Dele Alli opener - but Son Heung-min spared his side's blushes late on.
It was a much-needed win for Mourinho's men that keeps them in the hunt for a top-four finish, sitting as they do six points off Chelsea in the final Champions League qualifying berth.
Finishing fourth is one of Mourinho's aims in his first season at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, along with ending the club's 12-year wait for some silverware.
The one big blot on predecessor Mauricio Pochettino's otherwise imperious record was a failure to lift any trophies, something Mourinho will be desperate to put right.
After seeing off Middlesbrough at the second attempt in round three, winning 2-1 in North London following a 1-1 draw in the initial tie, the Lilywhites have been handed a tricky fourth-round tie.
Only Liverpool and Manchester City are in better Premier League form than Southampton, who returned to winning ways in midweek with a 2-0 victory at Crystal Palace.
Whereas relegation was once a serious possibility, Ralph Hasenhuttl has transformed his side's fortunes and momentum is very much on their side heading into this all-Premier League affair.
In fact, Southampton were deserved 1-0 winners when these two sides met in the league a few weeks ago thanks to an impressive Danny Ings strike.
Mourinho has only previously lost two games against an opponent in a single calendar month on one occasion. Should Hasenhuttl again come out on top this weekend, Tottenham's decision to replace Pochettino with the Portuguese will be called into question.
Southampton's FA Cup form: W
Southampton's form (all competitions): DWWWLW
Tottenham Hotspur's FA Cup form: DW
Tottenham Hotspur's form (all competitions): LDLWDW
Team News
© Reuters
Mourinho rued his side's luck after losing Harry Winks to injury in the win over Norwich, a game that saw skipper Hugo Lloris make his long-awaited return from injury.
Leading scorer Harry Kane is out until April with a hamstring injury and is joined on the sidelines by Moussa Sissoko, Ben Davies and Danny Rose.
Only Rose has an outside chance of being fit to face Southampton, but Japhet Tanganga is more likely to get the nod here, possibly meaning a more advanced position for the versatile Ryan Sessegnon.
Also in contention to feature is Erik Lamela, a player who has been directly involved in seven goals in his last six FA Cup starts - three goals of his own and four assists.
As for Southampton, Hasenhuttl has confirmed that Cedric Soares is to miss the next three weeks through injury.
Central defender Jannik Vestergaard and forward Shane Long are also ruled out after picking up knocks in midweek.
Star man Ings was rested against Palace before being introduced from the bench, suggesting he should get the nod on Saturday.
Southampton possible starting lineup:
McCarthy; Danso, Stephens, Vestergaard, Bertrand; Armstrong, Ward-Prowse, Hojbjerg, Redmond; Obafemi, Ings
Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:
Gazzaniga; Aurier, Alderweireld, Sanchez, Tanganga; Dier, Ndombele; Gedson, Lo Celso, Lucas; Son
We say: Southampton 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Since returning to the Premier League in 2012-13, Southampton have lost six of their eight FA Cup ties against fellow top-flight opponents. They may be in good form, but we are backing Tottenham to dig in and claim a draw to take the match back to North London.
No Data Analysis info
