Tottenham Hotspur vs Norwich City. Premier League.
White Hart LaneAttendance35,198.
Saturday 26 December 2015 15:07, UK
Ryan Mason is back in training and the Tottenham midfielder is available for selection against Norwich on Boxing Day.
Spurs got back to winning ways with a 2-0 victory at Southampton last Saturday, and England midfielder Mason is in contention to return at White Hart Lane after recovering from an ankle injury.
The win on the south coast moved Spurs back into the top four, and they can consolidate their position with three points against the 16th-placed Canaries.
Alex Neil has no fresh injury concerns following their 2-1 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford, and Norwich can move further clear of the relegation zone with another away win.
Team news
Mason is back but the hosts will be without Clinton Njie (knee) and Alex Pritchard (ankle). Other than that, Mauricio Pochettino has a full squad to choose from.
Matt Jarvis will not make his Norwich comeback this weekend as the midfielder has failed to overcome a knee problem. Jarvis was substituted at half-time against Manchester City on October 31, but is expected to be back in the squad at some stage over the Christmas period.
Andre Wisdom, who missed the win at United with a hamstring injury, is "touch and go" but Neil has no other injury worries.
Opta stats
Spurs have conceded only five goals in their last 10 Premier League games against Norwich, but the Canaries have lost just one of their last five league meetings between the two sides (W2 D2 L1).
Christian Eriksen has scored in both of his league appearances on Boxing Day (2013 v WBA and 2014 v Leicester).
Only Newcastle (12) have dropped more points from winning positions than Spurs (11) so far this season.
Norwich have never won a Premier League game on Boxing Day (W0 D1 L4).
Dele Alli has scored or assisted four goals in his last four league games (two goals, two assists).
Since defeating Spurs at White Hart Lane in April 2012 (2-1), Norwich have failed to win any of their last 15 league away trips to London (L9 D6).
Merson's prediction
That win over Southampton after losing to Newcastle was Tottenham all over. They get to a certain point and then drop off, but fair play to them, they bounced back really quickly against the Saints. That was a big result.
Now they need to firm up their position in the top four by winning against Norwich. If they do that, then I think they will really go on from there.
Norwich had a massive result at Old Trafford, and they may feel like they've got the game-plan for results away from home now, but I don't think Tottenham will play as badly as United did.
PAUL PREDICTS: 3-1 (5/1 with Sky Bet)
Betting
Tottenham are just 2/5 with Sky Bet to see off 13/2 outsiders Norwich, with the draw priced at 19/5. Harry Kane heads the first goalscorer betting at 11/4 while Cameron Jerome is 10/1 to repeat his Old Trafford heroics and break the deadlock.
The Canaries were pushed out to 9/4 to face relegation following their 2-1 win last weekend, which also saw Spurs cut to 4/5 for a top-four finish.
