Sky Sports pundit states his prediction for Southampton v Tottenham
Sky Sports pundit Phil Thompson is backing Southampton to knock Tottenham out of the FA Cup on Saturday
Phil Thompson is backing Southampton to beat Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup fourth round at St Mary’s on Saturday afternoon.
Spurs will make the trip to the south coast fresh from a 2-1 win over Norwich City in the Premier League on Wednesday night.
The Lilywhites have struggled to find consistency over the past month or so under Mauricio Pochettino’s replacement Jose Mourinho.
Southampton, on the other hand, have been one of the Premier League’s top performers over the past six games.
The Saints have won five of their last seven top-flight fixtures to hoist themselves from the relegation zone to the top half of the table.
Ralph Hasenhuttl’s team were 1-0 winners against Spurs at St Mary’s on New Year’s Day.
Former Liverpool FC defender Thompson is backing Southampton to edge to a 2-1 win against Tottenham on Saturday.
“Southampton have really turned a corner,” Thompson told Sky Sports.
“It was a massive blow to lose against Wolves and they will still feel disappointed that they lost having been 2-0 up.
“They rectified that with a really good win at Crystal Palace, so the confidence will be back up for them. Tottenham have been a little bit inconsistent.
“I feel like Ralph Hasenhuttl and Southampton will feel they are relatively safe in the Premier League at the minute, meaning they could have a decent shot at the FA Cup.
“Tottenham will still have an eye on the top four and so Jose Mourinho could make more changes in this one – changes that could prove to be costly.”
Tottenham are looking to win the FA Cup for the ninth time in their history, while Southampton have only managed to win the competition.
Southampton will make the long trip to Premier League leaders Liverpool FC in their next Premier League fixture at Anfield next Saturday.
Spurs will host defending Premier League champions Manchester City a day later at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Southampton and Tottenham are separated by three points in the Premier League table.
