Good morning! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's Premier League clash between Tottenham Hotspur and Watford at White Hart Lane! It has been a busy week in the Premier League due to the midweek fixtures, and Spurs were very much in the mix as they kept their title hopes alive with a late salvo on Wednesday night. They will look to continue their good form this afternoon, but Watford arrive in North London having won their last two games so it promises to be an intriguing contest. Before we get into all that, though, let's check out the team news...

TOTTENHAM STARTING XI: Lloris; Trippier, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Davies; Dier, Dembele, Son, Eriksen, Dele; Janssen

TOTTENHAM SUBS: Lopez, Walker, Wimmer, Nkoudou, Sissoko, Wanyama, Kane

WATFORD STARTING XI: Gomes; Mariappa, Cathcart, Holebas; Janmaat, Cleverley, Doucouré, Amrabat; Niang, Okaka, Success

WATFORD SUBS: Pantilimon, Kabasele, Eleftheriou, Mason, Zúñiga, Capoue, Deeney

What can we make of those two teams, then? Well the first thing to note for the home side is that Harry Kane does not make the starting XI, instead being limited to a place on the bench despite his recent return to training. The striker has recovered from injury sooner than expected and it will be a major boost for Spurs to have him back available, although in truth they have coped fairly well without him too. They are unbeaten in all eight Premier League games that he has missed this season, winning five and drawing three.

Interestingly, Vincent Janssen leads the line having impressed off the bench against Swansea in midweek, with his inclusion seeing Moussa Sissoko drop out of the starting XI having been handed a rare chance to impress on Wednesday. That in turn will mean that Son Heung-min - scorer of Tottenham's second goal against Swansea - will revert to a deeper and wider position rather than leading the line, where he will be joined by the in-form Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen.

Just as notable as the return of Harry Kane to the bench is the return of captain Hugo Lloris in goal for Spurs, with the hosts at one stage being faced with the prospect of handing a debut to 22-year-old Espanyol loanee Pau Lopez. Lloris missed the match against Swansea through illness and was replaced in the side by Michel Vorm, but the Dutch keeper is now out with a knee injury. Fortunately, though, Lloris has recovered enough to start today.

There are yet more interesting selections in defence, where Kyle Walker drops to the bench in place of Kieran Trippier. Danny Rose remains sidelined on the opposite flank, which sees Ben Davies continue on the left, while Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen continue their partnership at the heart of the defence. Wanyama, meanwhile, is fit enough to return to the bench having been struggling with a back problem, but Dier and Dembele remain as the two holding midfielders.

Plenty of noteworthy decisions from Pochettino, then, and Walter Mazzarri has made one of his own too as Troy Deeney - Watford's captain and top scorer - is left on the bench for today's match. Deeney has scored six goals in his last eight games - including his 100th league goal for the club during the win over West Brom in midweek - but he drops out of the side and Isaac Success comes in in his place.

That is one of four changes made by Mazzarri from the side that beat the Baggies, and there is another in an attacking position as Okaka also comes into the team, replacing former Tottenham man Etienne Capoue. Perhaps the biggest dangerman for the Hornets will be Niang, though, after he put in a match-winning performance during the victory over West Brom. He scored one and created another in the 2-0 win and has shown glimpses of being a very good acquisition during his short time in the Premier League.

The big dilemma facing Mazzarri this week was what he would do regarding his mini-defensive crisis. Miguel Britos is suspended, while Kaboul and Prodl are both injured, so Watford appear to have gone for a 3-4-3 formation with Mariappa, Cathcart and Holebas as the defensive trio. Mariappa makes his 250th appearance for the club as one of the four changes to the team, while the other sees Daryl Janmaat come back into the side.

Janmaat is expected to operate in a wing-back role, with Amrabat on the opposite flank fulfilling the same role. The latter in particular will need to keep an eye on his defensive duties, with Tottenham's full-backs very keen to get forward at every opportunity. Those in the middle of the park - Cleverley and Doucoure - will also need their defensive heads on as they look to stifle the influence of Alli and Eriksen.

Not many would have successfully predicted those two starting XIs, then, but despite some unexpected selections it will not change the fact that most will be backing a relatively comfortable Tottenham win today. It may prove to be a futile chase when trying to catch Chelsea, but all Spurs can do now is keep winning just in case the league leaders slip up and every match is a must-win won for Pochettino's side from now until the end of the season.

The gap to the Blues is currently seven points, which could be cut to four with a win today. Chelsea are in action away to Bournemouth later in the day, though, and will then have the chance to restore a seven-point gap with what would then be seven games of the season remaining. It is a big ask for Spurs, of course, but they are in fine form and at the very least don't look like repeating the same mistakes as last season, when second place was ultimately snatched away from them on the final day of the season.

Even if Spurs are unable to catch Chelsea, this still has to go down as another hugely successful campaign for them - and it could still be one which brings a rare trophy should they succeed in the FA Cup. Tottenham have made great strides under Pochettino, and the fact that a young and relatively cheaply-assembled side is outperforming the likes of Liverpool, both Manchester clubs and Arsenal this season is a credit to the Argentine. The future is looking very bright for Spurs.

Tottenham were just a couple of minutes away from seeing their title dream ended once and for all on Wednesday as they trailed Swansea heading into the 88th minute, but three late goals saw them record a six consecutive win across all competitions - five of which have come in the Premier League. Tottenham's unbeaten run stretches back to eight games now, with seven wins in that time, and another victory today would see them equal their club record of six consecutive Premier League wins - something they have already achieved once this season.

No team in the league has lost fewer games than Spurs's three this season, and just one of those have come in their last 15 Premier League outings - a 2-0 defeat to Liverpool on February 11. Spurs have won 12 of those games too, scoring 34 goals and conceding just 11 in the process. Indeed, their success all season has been built on a sturdy defence, conceding fewer goals than any other team and keeping a joint league-high 13 clean sheets.

It is Tottenham's home form which has been particularly imperious, with Spurs having won their last 10 league outings in front of their own fans. The last visiting team to take any points off Spurs here in the league was Leicester City on October 29, and that is a feat only two teams have achieved all season. Spurs have the best home record in the division, posting the only unbeaten record as things stand and also boasting a league-low eight goals conceded.

They are certainly giving White Hart Lane a fitting send-off, although there is still a degree of uncertainty regarding where they will be playing their home games next season. Wembley remains the most likely choice, but Spurs have only won one of their four games at the stadium this season compared to 19 matches unbeaten at White Hart Lane. They have won 17 of those games too, including their last 13 in a row across all competitions. Another win today would equal the club's top-flight record of 11 consecutive wins, set in 1922.

It is a daunting place to visit for any side, then, particularly a Watford team who have struggled on the road recently. The Hornets have won just one of their last 11 away games in all competitions, with eight defeats in that time too, while they have failed to even score in seven of those. Indeed, they have not found the back of the net in six of their last eight away games in all competitions, and five of their last seven in the Premier League.

All hope is not lost, though, as Watford have recent history of picking up a positive result in this part of the world. Their only away win in their last 11 attempts came in North London when they beat Arsenal 2-1 at the end of January, although it should be noted that Arsenal then were in a much more fragile state than Tottenham are now. Any repeat of that result for the Hornets this afternoon would be a major shock.

Watford do arrive at White Hart Lane off the back of consecutive victories, though, beating Sunderland by a solitary goal last weekend before earning a 2-0 triumph over West Brom on Tuesday, despite being forced to play the final 25 minutes with 10 men after Britos was shown his second yellow card of the season. Niang and Deeney got the goals against the Baggies, although both of those wins came at home and it is on the road where their biggest problems have arisen this season.

Watford had gone four games in a row without a win before those back-to-back victories, raising questions regarding Mazzarri's future. A win today would make it three league victories on the bounce for the first time since December 2015, but even then it might not be enough to fully secure Mazzarri's future beyond the end of the season. Watford's owners have dispensed with a lot of managers already, including Quique Flores last summer despite him steering them to Premier League survival for the first time.

A third season in the Premier League looks likely for Watford, who are nine points clear of the relegation zone and just one more win away from the magic 40-point mark. However, they have an identical record after 30 games this season as they did at the same stage of last term, winning 10, drawing seven and losing 13 for a tally of 37 points. They ended up finishing 13th that season, eight points clear of the relegation zone, but even that wasn't enough for Quique Flores to keep his job.

Only Bournemouth have conceded more goals than Tottenham outside the bottom six this season, but their defensive record has improved recently with those back-to-back clean sheets against Sunderland and West Brom. Should they keep the free-scoring Spurs out tonight then it would be the first time they have recorded three clean sheets in a row since October, and it would mark a significant improvement from a run of eight games without one before these last two.

One concern for Mazzarri between now and the end of the season will be how tough his side's run-in is. A trip to White Hart Lane has proven to be the toughest assignment in the Premier League this season and, including today's game, Watford must still face five of the top seven before the campaign is done and dusted. The Hornets will take on relegation-threatened duo Swansea and Hull in their next two after this, but they must face Liverpool, champions Leicester, Everton, Manchester City and Chelsea in their final five games.

PREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff at White Hart Lane, which means that it is time for a prediction! It is very hard to look past Tottenham at the moment, particularly at White Hart Lane, and while Watford should make things a little more difficult than they did in the reverse fixture, it would still be a surprise if the visitors got anything out of this game. I'm going to go for a 2-0 home win!

That reverse fixture on New Year's Day ended in a convincing 4-1 victory for Spurs, with Kane and Alli both notching braces before Kaboul scored a 90th-minute consolation goal for the hosts at Vicarage Road. The corresponding game last season also ended in a Tottenham win, with Kieran Trippier the unlikely man to get the only goal of the game on that occasion.

Indeed, Spurs have won their last six meetings with Watford and are unbeaten in their last 10, a run which stretches all the way back to October 1994 and includes eight wins overall. Watford's last win over Spurs came in a League Cup game at White Hart Lane 23 years ago - although they still lost that tie on aggregate - whereas the last time they earned so much as a draw against Spurs was in October 2006 - a 0-0 stalemate in the Premier League.

Watford have not won a league game at White Hart Lane since November 1985, losing all six of their visits since a 5-1 triumph 32 years ago - incidentally Watford's biggest ever win over Spurs. Tottenham are also the only team that Watford have played in all four of their Premier League seasons without beating, losing five and drawing two of their seven previous Premier League contests, including an ongoing four-match losing streak.

Right, the players are out and we're just about ready to go at White Hart Lane! It is another huge match for Tottenham and their title hopes.

KICKOFF: Dele Alli and Mousa Dembele get us underway at a sunny White Hart Lane!

Watford almost create an early chance as Tottenham leave themselves a little open, but the attempt to release Okaka is unsuccessful. The hosts could have been in a bit of trouble had that got through!

SAVE! Watford have made a bright start to this match and they win a free kick just within shooting range. Holebas curls it over the wall and on target, but it is fairly comfortable for Lloris to collect.

It has been a little better in the last couple of minutes from Spurs as they begin to settle into the match after getting caught cold by Watford from the off.

OFF THE POST! The opening goal nearly arrives in very fortuitous fashion for the hosts as Son tries to squeeze a cross in from the left flank and sees it deflect off a defender and hit the outside of the near post on its way behind. That wasn't too far from sneaking in.

CHANCE! Gomes has his first piece of serious action, and it is a good stop to deny Janssen his first Premier League goal from open play. The striker does well to turn his man inside the area and release a sharp low strike, but Gomes keeps it out with his feet.

CHANCE! Half a chance for Watford at the other end as Spurs fail to deal with a testing free-kick delivery from deep on the left. The ball eventually drops to Cathcart, but he scuffs his shot into the side-netting.

SAVE! Watford are looking dangerous every time they come forward. Niang is the latest to give Lloris a tester, curling one towards goal from the edge of the area, but again it is too close to the Spurs keeper, who collects it easily.

Janssen is incredulous at Lee Mason after the referee blows for a foul while he is holding his man off on the edge of the area. Spurs were beginning to string together a good move, but that is ended by a relatively soft decision.

Walter Mazzarri will be very pleased with what he has seen from his side in the opening quarter of an hour and more in this one. Watford have more than held their own and have looked capable of breaching this sturdy Spurs defence on a few occasions already.

Davies swings a cross into the middle and Alli finds himself in a bit of space at the back post having peeled away from his marker. The ball is just too far in front of him, but he had lost his marker well then and a better delivery could have left Watford in trouble.

OFF THE BAR! Oh my word! If Janssen can't score this from open play then he may never do it! The striker is guilty of one of the misses of the season, with Trippier firing the ball across the face of goal and taking Gomes out of the equation in the process. The ball arrives at around knee height, but then bounces off Janssen's thigh and loops up onto the crossbar with the goal gaping. That is an absolute sitter.

Moments later Trippier sends another teasing cross into the middle, but this time Janssen is just a yard or so short of latching on to it as it rolls narrowly past the far post. Not a great couple of minutes for the striker.

I'll try to come up with a defence of Janssen there - the ball took a slight deflection just before it arrived to him and it did come at an awkward height too. It was still a glorious chance, though, and it is hard to imagine someone like Harry Kane passing up a gift like that.

Some good football from Spurs creates a bit of space for Eriksen to have a go at goal, but he skews his effort high and wide under pressure from Doucouare. Eriksen wants a free kick - and he has a point - but the referee says no.

Watford have been forced further back in the last five minutes or so, with Tottenham beginning to take control of the match. The Hornets made a good, bright start but are now spending most of their time on the back foot.

Spurs win a couple of corners in quick succession and both almost cause Watford a few problems, but after a brief scare they clear the danger on both occasions.

The offside flag is raised against Janssen - not for the first time today - and that brings an end to a promising attacking platform for Spurs. The striker really should be more alert to the offside trap than that.

Harry Kane goes out for his first job down the touchline, and White Hart Lane immediately rises to give an ovation to the fit-again striker. He may be brought on sooner than expected if this one stays goalless.

SAVE! Good football again from Spurs as Eriksen ups the tempo with a quick give and go with Janssen on the edge of the box. He gets the ball back and goes for goal, but he doesn't catch his effort anywhere near well enough, dragging a tame strike into the arms of the keeper.

Stunning. Absolutely stunning from Dele Alli. Spurs take the lead in brilliant fashion as their star man - at least in Kane's absence - steps up to the plate with a moment of magic. Dembele starts the break with a powerful run forward before being fouled, and the referee plays a good advantage. Alli takes over and exchanges passes with Son before curling a beauty into the far corner from outside the area. He can do no wrong at the moment!

YELLOW CARD! Doucoure went into the book for his foul on Dembele in the build-up to that goal.

The best young player in the Premier League? Perhaps even one of the best in the world? Alli still hasn't celebrated his 21st birthday...

14 - Dele Alli has been directly involved in 14 goals in 13 Premier League games for Spurs in 2017 (10 goals, 4 assists). Prodigy. — OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 8, 2017

Tottenham have taken this game away from Watford in the space of six minutes towards the end of the first half. Dier doubles their advantage, and it is another thunderbolt. Son cut inside from the left flank and saw his shot blocked, with the ball falling into the path of Dier. The midfielder then lashes a powerful half-volley into the ground, and it comes zipping off the turf and flies past a helpless Gomes.

That quickfire double will be difficult for Mazzarri to take as his side had been very much in this game until Alli's strike. Spurs had been beginning to take control, but now they are in total command.

It is all falling apart for Watford! Spurs add a third just before half time, and it is three goals in three games for Son too. He collects a pass from Eriksen around 25 yards from goal and is almost invited to shoot by the space he is given. Son gladly accepts that invitation, drilling a low finish into the bottom corner.

There will be one minute of added time at the end of this first half.

The referee brings an end to the first half, and it has proven to be a very good first half for Spurs. Watford made things difficult for around 20 minutes, but Spurs soon gained control and three quickfire goals towards the end of the half have effectively ended this one as a contest already.

It took a moment of individual quality to break the deadlock, and of the players on the pitch it was perhaps inevitable that Alli would be the man to come up with it. The in-form midfielder exchanged passes with Son before curling a stunning strike into the far corner. Janssen had earlier missed a sitter from virtually on the goalline, and the striker must had felt a tinge of jealousy at how easily Alli is making goalscoring look at the moment.

One quickly became two as Dier joined his good friend on the scoresheet with another fine strike, lashing the ball home after it had dropped kindly for him just inside the area. A third arrived just 11 minutes after the first too, with Son being afforded far too much space to drill an effort into the bottom corner from just outside the area. It was far too easy for the hosts, but they have also been ruthless.

Is there any way back for Watford? Well, simply put, I highly doubt it. The Hornets did carry a decent attacking threat during the opening 20 minutes or so and actually made the brighter start to the match, but a three-goal deficit looks to be too big of an ask.

KICKOFF: Watford get us back underway for the second half at White Hart Lane.

Spurs have wasted no time in regaining control of this one and they earn an early corner as Dembele's strike deflects wide of the target.

Eriksen cuts the corner all the way back to Trippier, who lofts it into the middle. Janssen is under it, but can't control his header and sends it well over the crossbar.

You get the feeling that there are more goals in this one for Tottenham if they really want them. They could take this second half easy with the game already essentially wrapped up, or they could go for the jugular.

Lightning break from Tottenham, and it is Vertonghen of all people who is striding forward. Eriksen rolls the ball into the marauding centre-back's path but, after carrying the ball from the halfway line he runs out of legs on the edge of the box and Janmaat is able to steal in and nick the ball.

A little bit of concern for Vertonghen as he emerges from a sliding challenge on Okaka slowly. He should he fine to continue, though.

There is no stopping Son or Tottenham at the moment! They add a fourth and it is Son's second of the game - and guess what? It is another beauty. Eriksen gives the ball to the overlapping Trippier down the right flank and his cross goes deep to the back post, where Son is waiting. The South Korean keeps his composure to cushion his first-time volley home, making it look a lot easier than it was.

If Tottenham are feeling any pressure knowing that anything other than a win would effectively end their title hopes once and for all then they are not showing it. They have been imperious once again at home this afternoon.

WATFORD SUB: Walter Mazzarri has seen enough. He makes his first change of the day as Juan Zuniga replaces Doucoure.

TOTTENHAM SUB: A huge roar goes up from White Hart Lane as Harry Kane returns to the field. He replaces Janssen and will get half an hour at the end of this match.

This must be damage limitation for Watford in the closing half an hour of this game. It always looked like this would be a long second half for them after Spurs got those three quick goals, and I'm sure they would happily take the full-time whistle right now if they could.

SHOT! Watford have a very rare break forward as Success drives forward down the right channel, but Dembele has tracked him all the way and the Watford man drags his effort wide of the far post.

This is a better spell for Watford as they keep the hosts pinned back in their own for a relatively long period. They have spent the entire half on the back foot apart from this little spell now.

Lloris needs to be alert here as he races off his line to beat Okaka to the ball and clear the danger. Spurs have just let their grip on this game loosen a little.

WATFORD SUB: Troy Deeney will get the final 20 minutes here as he replaces Amrabat.

CHANCE! White Hart Lane immediately starts buzzing as Kane gets the ball inside the area, latching on to another good ball forward from Trippier. He manages to take the ball around Gomes too, but can't get the power on his finish to beat the defender.

CHANCE! Chance for Deeney to pull one back for his side at the other end as he peels off his man and finds enough space in the area to chest a cross down and try to steer his finish into the top corner. He puts too much on it, though, and floats it over the top.

TOTTENHAM SUB: Another change from the home side sees Moussa Sissoko come on in place of Dembele.

Trippier's inclusion may have raised a few eyebrows, but he has had a very good game today. He gets forward down the right again and floats a cross into the middle that Kane is inches away from getting his head to.

Just over 10 minutes remaining in this one, and the thing Spurs will be focusing on now will be keeping a clean sheet. They have just got a little sloppier in the last 10 minutes or so, which may have given Watford hope of at least getting a consolation.

CHANCE! What a chance for Son to complete his hat-trick! The matchball should be his as he collects a pass from Kane and finds himself with only the keeper to beat. He has the time and space to just pick his spot, but he proceeds to stroke his finish wide of the post. That should have been five.

OFF THE BAR! Son wants that hat-trick, and he should have it! Trippier feeds another clever ball in behind the defence for Son to race on to and he volleys it towards goal, but it clips the crossbar on its way over.

WATFORD SUB: A third and final change for the visitors as Christian Kabasele replaces Okaka.

TOTTENHAM SUB: Despite two goals and an assist, Son leaves the field with his head in his hands. He feels like he should have had at least a hat-trick, but that won't happen now as he is replaced by Josh Onomah.

There will be three minutes of added time at the end of this match.

OFF THE BAR! This would have been the perfect way to finish the game! Kane lines up a free kick from 30 yards and just thrashes the ball towards the top corner, but it cracks against the woodwork with what proves to be the last kick of the match.

Easy as you like for Spurs today. They close the gap on leaders Chelsea to four points temporarily with a convincing 4-0 victory over Watford, and it could easily have been more. Three goals from Alli, Dier and Son in the space of 11 minutes at the end of the first half put the game to bed before the interval, and Son added a second of his own after the break. Son should have had at least a hat-trick too, while in all Spurs hit the woodwork four times today. It was an entirely dominant display.

Right, that is all we have time for this afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's game as Tottenham thrash Watford to keep their title hopes alive for another week. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to keep an eye out for reaction on site. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!