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Tottenham boss Antonio Conte has given some insight on his decision to make three changes for the trip to Southampton.

"I think it is a busy period and for this reason it is good to make rotation, to give a good balance to your team. It is not simple to recover in only 48 hours," he says.

Asked if he has been impressed by the way his players have taken to his managerial style and methods he says: "Honestly I was impressed for the attitude they have shown me during the training sessions, to follow tactical and physical work. I was impressed with this."

Can't beat the unbridled optimism and enthusiasm of youth, can you?

Will these happy Hornets be smiling come 5pm?

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Bounty Guy: David De Gea has been a player reborn, back to his best - without his saves, Man Utd would be bottom half easily.

Robert McLaren: Best player in the League? It has to be Mo Salah by a mile.

Nice to see someone other than the Liverpool man getting a look-in...

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Tottenham midfielder Pierre Emile-Hojbjerg faces his former club today and says Spurs are "hungry to take everything home".

Hojbjerg, who warns Saints are a "front-foot" side, says he has been impressed with the impact manager Antonio Conte has had at Spurs.

Hojbjerg said: "What is remarkable is that he is getting everyone to maximise their effort, not only technical but physical and mental, every aspect of the game.

"The way you live, the way you act, it is a professional football way of life.

"I personally really like that, the squad really like it. We still have a lot to improve which we will but we are competing, enjoying and working hard, which is nice to be a part of."

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For a long while this season West Ham were looking like potential contenders for a shot at the title, let alone the top four, but their challenge has faltered in recent weeks and they are now clinging on to a top six place.

Since winning four consecutive league games between late October and early November, David Moyes' side have only managed to win one of their last seven top-flight matches.

A win to end the year is badly needed for the Hammers.

Oliver Camp: Wherever we end up in the league and whatever the results along the way, it is just such a huge pleasure to be able to look forward to Spurs games again - and to enjoy them when they come. The players are trying hard, finding form, and we're reaping the rewards.

Paul Charles: The best thing about having a proven manager is seeing Moura on the bench after such a fantastic performance and think, "I'm sure he knows what he's doing," rather than, "What?!"

Mark Lawrenson
BBC football expert

Southampton got a great win over West Ham on Sunday but they are very inconsistent, which is why they've spent most of the season in the bottom half of the table.

Tottenham are still unbeaten in the league under Antonio Conte, who has won four and drawn two of his six games so far, but five of them have been at home so we are yet to really see what they are like under him on the road.

That's why I'm going for a draw here, although I don't really know what to expect from Southampton - good or bad.

Lawro's prediction: 1-1

We asked for your best player, best summer signing and best game of the Premier League season so far - and Mohamed Salah is getting plenty of love...

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Travelling to this game may have felt a little strange for the Tottenham players and staff.

This is their first Premier League away game in 51 days, since a goalless draw at Everton on 7 November.

It's the longest gap any side has had between away games in a single campaign in the competition (excluding lockdown).

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History suggests Southampton are in for a very tough time this afternoon.

Since their return to the Premier League in 2012, Southampton have lost a club record 13 top-flight matches against Tottenham.

Spurs are also undefeated on seven of their past nine Premier League visits to St Mary's, including a 5-2 win last season.

Mark Lawrenson
BBC football expert

This is the first time Watford have played since 10 December while West Ham have had four games since then, and not won any of them.

The Hornets have been hampered by being unable to train properly because of a Covid outbreak at the club but they will be rested and ready for this one.

The Hammers seem to be playing every other day, and they have been losing a lot of the time.

They are clearly missing injured duo Angelo Ogbonna and Kurt Zouma at the back and it might be that their poor run continues until they can bring in more numbers in January.

Lawro's prediction: 2-1

Watford make three changes for their first game in 18 days as Francisco Sierralta, Ozan Tufan and Adam Masina come in to the Hornets' line-up.

William Troost-Ekong, Jeremy Ngakia and Tom Cleverley are the men to make way, with none of the three making a bench that onlly features eight players.

Watford XI: Bachmann, Femenia, Sierralta, Cathcart, Masina, Kucka, Sissoko, Hernandez, Tufan, King, Dennis.

Subs: Angelini, Louza, Joao Pedro, Sema, Gosling, Fletcher, Morris, Conteh.

Visitors West Ham, meanwhile, make four changes from their 3-2 home defeat by Southampton on Boxing Day.

Skipper Declan Rice serves a one-game ban after picking up his fifth booking of the season so there's a rare start for veteran Mark Noble, who takes the captain's armband, while Michail Antonio, Ben Johnson and Manuel Lanzini also come in.

West Ham XI: Fabianski, Coufal, Dawson, Diop, Johnson, Soucek, Noble, Bowen, Lanzini, Benrahma, Antonio.

Subs: Areola, Masuaku, Fredericks, Kral, Alese, Ashby, Okoflex, Yarmolenko, Vlasic.

Crystal Palace have made four changes from the Boxing Day defeat to Tottenham.

Vicente Guaita, Marc Guehi, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Jeffrey Schlupp are in for Jack Butland, James Tomkins, Conor Gallagher and Wilfried Zaha.

Crystal Palace XI: Guaita; Mitchell, Guehi, Andersen, Ward; Hughes, Kouyate, Schlupp; Mateta, Ayew, Edouard.

Subs: Butland, Matthews, Milivojevic, Tomkins, Benteke, Ferguson, Kelly, Riedewald.

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Norwich have made six changes from their defeat to Arsenal on Sunday.

Out go Max Aarons, Ozan Kabak, Brandon Williams, Kieran Dowell, Teemu Pukki and Joshua Sargent, and in come Sam Bryam, Christos Tzolis, Jacob Sorensen, Pierre Lees-Melou, Dimitris Giannoulis and Adam Idah.

Norwich XI: Gunn; Giannoulis, Gibson, Sorensen, Byram; Gilmour, McLean; Przemyslaw Placheta, Tzolis, Lees-Melou; Idah

Subs: McGovern, McCracken, Dowell, Kabak, Williams, Sargent, Mumbo, Rowe

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Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl shuffles his pack, making six changes from the win over West Ham.

Shane Long, Adam Armstrong, Stuart Armstrong, Ibarhima Diallo, Romain Perraud and Yan Valery all come into the Saints starting line-up. Southampton were winless in six outings before their Boxing Day success against the Hammers but Hasenhuttl clearly has one eye on fixture congestion rather than rewarding those who earned the three points.

Southampton XI: Forster, Walker-Peters, Long, Ward-Prowse, Adam Armstrong, Perraud, Stuart Armstrong, Salisu, Diallo, Bednarek, Valery.

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Tottenham make three changes in all from the 3-0 win over Crystal Palace two days ago.

Harry Winks and Dele Alli come in for Oliver Skipp and Lucas Moura respectively. At the back, Ben Davies is in for Japhet Tanganga.

Tottenham XI: Lloris, Reguilon, Hojbjerg, Sanchez, Son, Winks, Kane, Royal, Dier, Alli, Davies.

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We'll have team news for the 3pm games dropping in the next few minutes.

Mark Lawrenson
BBC football expert

Both of these teams suffered heavy defeats last time out and are missing a few players through illness and injury, but it is Norwich who look like they are in more of a mess. Their manager Dean Smith has been complaining about having a lack of leaders on the pitch, and I can understand why.

The Canaries have lost their past four games and although they have not played badly in all of those defeats, they were poor against Arsenal on Sunday and made lots of mistakes. Palace are without Wilfried Zaha after his red card against Tottenham, but they are at home and they should still come out on top.

Lawro's prediction: 2-1

No Wilfried Zaha today following his sending off on Boxing Day.

Crystal Palace have only won three of their last 24 Premier League matches without Wilfried Zaha (D3 L18).

The transfer window opens at the start of next year but things are already starting to happen.

Ferran Torres has officially joined Barcelona from Manchester City.

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Norwich made the ideal start to life with Dean Smith as manager with a victory against Southampton on 20 November but it has gone downhill since then.

The Canaries have lost their last four league games, conceding 11 goals and scoring none.

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Thinking Leicester taking on Liverpool sounds familiar? That's because the two sides faced each other just six days ago in the League Cup quarter-finals.

That hugely entertaining game saw Liverpool come back from two goals down to draw 3-3 and then win on penalties to progress.

More excitement today?