The Saints have flown out of the traps quicker than Usain Bolt. They are pressing high and hard, trying to force Spurs into an error at the back. Jan Vertonghen dillies, then dallies, before eventually clearing.

Jonathan Pearce
BBC Radio 5 live commentator

Virgil van Dijk is one of those players Southampton DO NOT want to lose on that conveyor belt out of St Mary's. 

They NEED to hold onto him in January's transfer window. 

Image source, Getty Images

Spurs win a free-kick in a similar position to the one which led to the Saints goal, but on the other side of the pitch. Can they make it count? Nope. Christian Eriksen's delivery is weak, Harry Kane blazing over when the ball is recycled by the visitors.

And here was us thinking this was a nailed-on 0-0...

Image source, Reuters

Steve Claridge
Ex-Leicester striker on BBC Radio 5 Live

Imagine what you are thinking if you are the Southampton manager right now! 

Remember me? Victor Wanyama reminds Southampton - and the home fans - of his combative style. He clatters Ryan Bertrand to give Saints a free-kick about 25 yards. Up go the big lads from the back. Early goal?

Right then, here we go. Saints get the ball rolling...

Image source, Reuters

While the two captains toss the coin, here's one final reminder of the two teams...

Southampton: Forster, Cedric, Fonte, van Dijk, Bertrand, Ward-Prowse, Romeu, Davis, Redmond, Rodriguez, Boufal. Subs: Yoshida, Long, Tadic, Martina, Reed, Hojbjerg, Taylor.

Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris, Walker, Dier, Vertonghen, Rose, Dembele, Wanyama, Sissoko, Alli, Eriksen, Kane. Subs: Son, Janssen, Vorm, Nkoudou, Wimmer, Winks, Davies.

Referee: Mike Dean

Image source, Getty Images

Jonathan Pearce
BBC Radio 5 live commentator

Counting the cost of Christmas? The losers of this will be! A Saints defeat should rule them out of a top-six place. A Tottenham reverse and any title dreams will evaporate.

I don't see many goals. Only Chelsea and Spurs have a tighter home defence than the Saints who scored as many at Bournemouth as they had in their previous seven league games. Oriol Romeu should also be back from his ban to add steel.

Tottenham are without Toby Alderweireld. Shane Long could bully the visitors. But Dele Alli's movement will unbalance Southampton. A low-scoring draw wouldn't be a surprise.

Harry Kane is keen to end his recent goalless run. The Spurs striker, who hasn't scored in 292 minutes, is the first in the tunnel. A few backslaps later and the players, once the rest arrive, are given the nod by celebrity ref Mike Dean. Almost show-time.

Image source, #bbcfootball

Chelsea won. Liverpool won. Man City won. Arsenal won. Can Spurs keep pace with their top-four rivals? A third successive league win will move them within a point of their north London arch-rivals.

Southampton, who have lost just once in their past six Premier League games, will move up a spot to seventh with a win.

These football mascots, eh. Sammy the Saint, who has previous for Gangnam Style dancing of course, is 'dabbing' with some young home fans. Just don't wind up the Spurs players by doing a Klinsmann dive later...

Image source, Getty Images

One of Mauricio Pochettino's final games in charge of Southampton saw Jay Rodriguez suffer a serious knee injury in April 2014.

It cost the Saints striker a trip to the World Cup with England and wiped out almost 18 months of his career.

But he is back and scoring goals - much to Pochettino's delight. Unless he scores today...

"I was very happy. I sent him a text," says Pochettino. "I was happy to see him on the pitch again. He suffered a very bad injury and I remember, fresh in my mind, that day at Manchester City.

"He's a top player, a top man and we were happy to see him score against Bournemouth. Now though we will suffer him because he will be our enemy and our opponent."

The Saints pre-match playlist is tribute heavy tonight. And why not. We've had Bowie and now the Quo are rocking out. Wham surely next up.

Little under 15 minutes until kick-off - just time for you to pop on the kettle. Both sets of players have gone through their warm-up routines, now they have disappeared back down the tunnel for some wise words from Messrs Puel and Pochettino and a good helping of Deep Heat on those thighs...

Image source, Getty Images

Claude Puel received flak for his tactics when Southampton crashed out of the Europa League against Hapoel Beer Sheva earlier this month.

But the Saints manager is determined to have another crack at continental competition next season.

"We were unlucky with our European campaign this season and want to find other possibilities to play those games, and the best possibility is via the Premier League," says the Frenchman.

"It's a good challenge for us. We know now all the opponents in the Premier League and if we can play against these teams at a good level then we have the chance to stay ambitious in the second half of the season."

Image source, #bbcfootball

Read Lawro's full predictions v You Me At Six singer Josh Franceschi.

• Think you can do better than Lawro? Predict the score for this match and the rest of this round's Premier League fixtures in our Predictor game.

Not many people have braved the cold air yet at St Mary's. Wise move. I'd be staying downstairs until 7.40pm, sticking on a beer jacket.

Huge cheer for Saints skipper Jose Fonte, who is restored to the starting XI after apparently rejecting a new contract recently, when his name is read out on the home team-sheet.

Image source, Reuters

Of course, Maurico Pochettino isn't the only Spur returning to his old stomping ground tonight...