Mauricio Pochettino has insisted that Tottenham Hotspur do not have an unfair advantage over their Premier League rivals following their 10-day break ahead of Wednesday's meeting with Southampton.
The Lilywhites were last in action on December 18 against Burnley, meaning a prolonged period of rest for Pochettino's players during what is usually the most congested run in the football calendar.
Spurs then have another four days off before facing Watford on New Year's Day, but Pochettino has played down the importance of the festive fixture scheduling and says that all teams are on a fair footing.
"It's a break that we've used to try to work to improve different aspects of our team but all the teams are in the same position in the end," he told the club's official website.
"I think it's been a good opportunity to be calm, be relaxed and spend time with our families [on Christmas Day] but in the end it will be tough for all the teams. Southampton are playing very well, they beat Bournemouth in their last game and it will be difficult.
"We will try to keep our performance, be clinical and try to win the game because that is our challenge. But in the same way we know that it will be tough because Southampton have very good players."
Pochettino spent 18 months in charge of Southampton before jumping ship to join Spurs in May 2014.
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