Pochettino can be one of the best, says Conte

London - Antonio Conte heaped praise on Tottenham counterpart Mauricio Pochettino before revealing the two managers share a similar philosophy.

Premier League leader Chelsea face Tottenham in the final match of what has been an enthralling festive period on Wednesday evening.

While the Blues maintained their dominance at the top of the standings with two wins, Spurs kept up the pressure on the mid-season frontrunners by also claiming maximum points from their two games thus far.

10 points separates the two sides ahead of their eagerly-awaited clash.

Ahead of the game, to be played at White Hart Lane, Conte said: "I think Pochettino is showing that he can be one of the best coaches in the world because he is doing fantastic work with Tottenham.

"They are one team that can fight to win the title in the present and the future. I give my best compliment to him because I saw this in the past and I'm seeing this in the present, that they are a really strong team."

Conte explained a visit to Tottenham's training ground while head coach of Italy revealed a similar philosophy between the two managers.

He added: "I saw the training ground, I spoke with him. We spoke about football and also about our ideas of football.

"I found a lot of similar things. We like to play from the back, [have] possession, and also to find the right solution to go towards the goal and finish very quickly the action when you start [the attack]."

The last time these two sides played, Chelsea secured an ill-tempered 2-1 victory over Spurs at Stamford Bridge in November that had many flashpoints.

The Chelsea victory ended Spurs' title run handing the trophy to Leicester City and striker Harry Kane readily admitted that his side were looking to return the favour and end the Blues' unbeaten run.

Kick off is scheduled for 22:00.