The 3 key battles as Tottenham host Southampton this afternoon

Toby Alderweireld v Manolo Gabbiadini

Tottenham defender Toby Alderweireld will come up against his former club on Sunday when Spurs host Southampton.

The Belgian international spent the 2014/15 season on loan at St Mary’s, helping the Saints to a seventh place finish under Ronald Koeman, and for many that was where he made a name for himself following a string of impressive performances.

And it was at the end of that campaign that Spurs bought the 28-year-old, and he has since then gone from strength to strength under Pochettino, becoming one of the Premier League’s best defenders.

And Alderweireld will have to be at his best on Sunday to deal with and thwart Saints striker Manolo Gabbiadini, who has made a sensational start to life in England.

The Italian international joined Southampton in January after falling down the pecking order at Napoli, and he has hit the ground running on the South Coast with six goals in his first four games for the club, including a brace in their heart-breaking 3-2 League Cup final defeat to Manchester United.

Nonetheless, he has since then netted in their 4-3 win at Watford to further underline his goal-scoring credentials, and his aerial prowess and clever movement is certainly going to cause Alderweireld some issues on Sunday in what should be a fascinating battle between the two.