Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has urged his players to pay attention to the dangers that Tottenham possess as he likened Spurs to a boxer that had taken some big blows.
Saints travel to north London to face Spurs at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Mauricio Pochettino's men smarting from a Carabao Cup exit at the hands of League Two side Colchester United, after losing out on penalties in Essex on Tuesday night.
But while Southampton go into the game off the back of a 4-0 win against south coast rivals Portsmouth in the Carabao Cup, Hasenhuttl said he is wary of facing a Tottenham side looking to bounce back from the cup exit.
“As always, like a boxer when he is knocked a little bit, he can be more dangerous, so pay attention," he said.
“This team [Spurs], with this quality – they showed it against Crystal Palace when they were unbelievable at home.
“It is never an advantage against a big team if they are struggling because you have to always be aware of the quality that they have.
“So we expect the most difficult opponent that we can imagine.”
Spurs currently sit just one point ahead of Southampton in the Premier League, after Tottenham lost 2-1 against Leicester City at the King Power Stadium last weekend.
That left them ten points behind league leaders Liverpool after six games, with Spurs looking to try and get their season back on track after a mixed start to the new campaign.
But when asked if he was wary of a big reaction from Spurs, following Manchester City's 8-0 win against Watford last weekend after their defeat against Norwich City the week before, Hasenhuttl had a jovial response.
“I hope it won’t be that big an answer,” he said.
However, Hasenhuttl called for a "perfect performance" from his side as they look to continue their good recent record away from home, with four wins on the trot on the road in all competitions.
“It will be on us, I think. We believe in our qualities and how we learn to compete in away games against big teams.
“Last year, we had a good away game against Chelsea in London and a very good game against Manchester United, where we lost in the end.
“So we know how to play against big teams in away games, and it must be perfect. If you don’t have a perfect game, it will be difficult.
“We know it is a big challenge, but we like these challenges and we want to show ourselves. The last few away games have been very good, better than the home games to be honest, so we are not scared about this game.
“It is a new stadium, we have never played there before and a good ground, and I am sure a lot of supporters will follow us, and we want to show them a very committed and aggressive Southampton side."
