Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl is preparing to face “one of the best teams in the league” in Antonio Conte’s reinvigorated Tottenham.
Spurs head to St Mary’s on Tuesday on the back of a fourth win in five matches, a stirring 3-0 victory over Crystal Palace.
Goals from Harry Kane, Lucas Moura and Son Heung-min fired Conte’s side up to fifth in the Premier League table.
Hasenhuttl said: “It is not so surprising when you speak about Son, Kane, and Moura. They’re three of the best in the Premier League.
“He has also stabilised the squad defensively. I know that they are now working a lot harder and have made a big step forward tactically.
“They’re one of the best teams in the league. But we’re not scared. We’ve shown that we can take points against top teams and that’s the plan for Tuesday.
“We’ve had some god games against them. But you have to have a fantastic game against them. They do not need a lot of chances. They’re now in a much better shape, physically and tactically.
“This will make it tough. First, we have to look at who is ready and who is able to play and then we’ll decide what we do.”
Hasenhuttl is expected to hand starts to Che Adams, Stuart Armstrong and Adam Armstrong, who were all on the bench for the 3-2 Boxing Day win at West Ham.
Nathan Tella should also return to the squad after a recent positive Covid-19 test, but defenders Lyanco and Jack Stephens are still out due to the virus.
“We will have to look at who is fit because we don’t have a lot of time,” Hasenhuttl added.
“We invested a lot against West Ham and I must have a real look at how many changes I can make. I think every team will be thinking about substitutions.”
