Southampton boss Mauricio Pellegrino believes his squad is strong enough to cope with a hectic week of Premier League football.
Arsenal visit St Mary's on Sunday before Saints face Leicester and Chelsea as the festive fixtures begin.
Pellegrino has seen his side improve in recent weeks, hammering Everton 4-1, coming from behind to draw at Bournemouth and pushing leaders Manchester City all the way only to concede an injury-time decider.
They now face another side with lofty ambitions as Arsene Wenger's Arsenal travel south on Sunday for a noon kick-off with Pellegrino insisting his players can deal with the run of fixtures.