Tottenham will hope to quickly put their St Mary’s disappointment behind them as they kick off 2022 with a trip to struggling Watford on New Year’s Day.
Spurs remain undefeated in seven Premier League matches under Antonio Conte, but could not beat a Southampton team that played for over 50 minutes with 10 men on Tuesday as they saw two goals chalked off after Harry Kane’s penalty had initially cancelled out an excellent volley from James Ward-Prowse.
That stumble saw Tottenham slip back below rivals West Ham into sixth place by a single point, but they still have two games in hand owing to fixture postponements caused by Covid-19 and inclement weather.
Conte’s side will fancy their chances of a fifth top-flight win under the Italian against Watford, who sit 17th and just two points above the relegation zone after a damaging run of five consecutive defeats.
The Hornets have lost eight of the 10 matches Claudio Ranieri has been in charge and the Italian is under growing pressure to turn Watford’s season around amid doubts over his suitability as head coach.
Covid-struck Watford played for the first time since December 10 against West Ham on Tuesday and took an early lead through the influential Emmanuel Dennis, yet ended up on the wrong end of a 4-1 thrashing to deepen their relegation concerns.
Date, kick-off time and venue
Watford vs Tottenham is scheduled for a 3pm GMT kick-off on Saturday, January 1, 2022.
The match will be played at Vicarage Road.
Where to watch Watford vs Tottenham
Watford vs Tottenham has not been selected for live television coverage in the UK.
However, highlights will be available to watch from 10:45pm on BBC One.
Watford vs Tottenham lineups and team news
Watford XI: Bachmann, Troost-Ekong, Sierralta, Cathcart, Masina, Sissoko, Sema, Kucka, Louza, King, Dennis
Subs: Ngakia, Cleverley, Joao Pedro, Gosling, Fletcher, Tufan, Hernandez, Angelini, Morris
Tottenham XI: Lloris, Sanchez, Dier, Davies, Emerson, Skipp, Hojbjerg, Reguilon, Lucas Moura, Kane, Son
Subs: Doherty, Winks, Gil, Rodon, Lo Celso, Alli, Gollini, Tanganga, Ndombele
Watford vs Tottenham prediction
Watford look in real danger if they cannot arrest this alarming slump that has left them perilously close to the bottom three.
Only Newcastle, Norwich and Leeds have conceded more goals this season than the Hornets, who are over-reliant on Dennis in attack.
Watford have won only two of their nine home matches in the league this season, conceding 21 times in six losses in front of their own fans.
Southampton away was a blip in the Conte revolution, but Spurs have look transformed at times under the former Chelsea boss and should get back to winning ways swiftly here.
Watford 1-3 Tottenham.
Head to head (h2h) history and results
Premier League era
Tottenham beat Watford 1-0 in the reverse fixture in August courtesy of Heung-min Son’s winner on his 200th Premier League appearance.
Watford wins: 1
Tottenham wins: 9
Draws: 5
