Ange Postecoglou said he is the "only voice" defending Tottenham Hotspur, adding that other clubs receive much more backing from pundits.

The pressure on Postecoglou continued to mount after Spurs suffered their 16th defeat of the Premier League season to Chelsea on Thursday, leaving them 14th in the table. 

Indeed, only the current bottom three have lost more games this campaign than Spurs, with the club reaching 16 losses in a season for the first time since 2003-04 (19). 

At Stamford Bridge, Postecoglou was seen cupping his ears towards the Spurs supporters after Pape Sarr thought he had levelled the game, only for his strike from 25 yards to be ruled out by VAR for a foul in the build-up. 

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp criticised the Australian for the gesture. In response, Postecoglou highlighted the difference in the coverage of the two clubs.

"I never switch on the TV and hear any sort of strong voice. The only voice you hear is me. When we talk about the bigger clubs, there seem to be a lot more voices," he said.

"There's never any sort of defending of the club or the club defending itself, which makes it difficult because every club goes through tough moments and it's how you react. 

"That's a unique challenge, but I accepted that challenge, so I've got to try to find a way to overcome it."

Southampton, meanwhile, could see their stay in the Premier League come to an end this Sunday if results go against them this weekend. 

Saints are 20th in the table and, with eight matches remaining, they have 24 points to play for. They are currently 19 points behind 17th-placed Wolves. 

Vitor Pereira's team travel to face Ipswich Town at Portman Road on Saturday and should they beat the Tractor Boys and Southampton lose to Spurs, they will be relegated. 

"I don't think about that anymore. Our goal has to be not be the worst team," Juric said when asked about the prospect of being relegated to the Championship. 

"At this moment I don't know. I have to speak with the club and see," Juric added when asked about his future at St. Mary's, should Southampton drop to the second tier. 

"Every coach has his vision and I think the club has to do everything they can to agree with the coach, and then they go the same way."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Spurs – Son Heung-min

Son has had a hand in 18 goals in 16 Premier League appearances against Southampton for Spurs (11 goals, seven assists).

The only current Premier League player with more goals and assists against an opponent is Mohamed Salah versus Manchester United (13 goals, six assists).

Southampton – Paul Onuachu

Onuachu put on an impressive display against Crystal Palace, ending the contest with team-high totals for shots on target (two) and touches in the opposition box (seven). 

He has also now netted four goals in his last nine Premier League games for Southampton, after failing to score across his first 22 appearances in the competition.

MATCH PREDICTION: SPURS WIN

None of Spurs' last 15 Premier League home games against Southampton have finished level (W12 L3). They have scored in all 15 of those games, while Saints have also found the net in each of the last eight.

Spurs won the reverse fixture against Southampton 5-0 in December, with all five goals coming in the first half. It was the fifth time they had scored five or more goals in a Premier League match against Saints, with no side doing so against a specific opponent more often.

But Spurs have won one of their last 10 home Premier League matches (D3 L6), picking up just six points. Across their 10 games at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium beforehand, they won seven games and 21 points.

Postecoglou's side have also shipped 26 home Premier League goals this season, only ever conceding more in five campaigns on home soil. Their current average of 1.73 goals conceded per game is their second worst in a top-flight season. However, they did ship 34 in 19 games in 2007-08 (1.79).

Southampton, meanwhile, have won just one of their last seven Premier League games against Spurs (D2 L4), beating them 3-2 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in February 2022.

But across their last 18 away Premier League matches, Southampton have collected just five points (W1 D2 L15), and their one win was at fellow promoted club Ipswich Town in February.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Spurs – 65.7%

Draw – 18.2%

Southampton – 16.1%