Mauricio Pochettino has urged his Tottenham Hotspur players to remain positive ahead of their busy festive programme.

The Lilywhites suffered a heavy 4-1 loss at the hands of Manchester City last time out to halt their momentum, leaving them outside the Premier League's top six.

Spurs boss Pochettino is eager to put that result to one side ahead of Saturday evening's trip to sixth-placed Burnley, and insists that his men still have plenty to play for on multiple fronts this season.

"We trust each other, the team trusts what we are doing," he told reporters. "We are in a position where the ambition is to be as high as possible. We know we need to win, to be superior.

"The busy schedule is not a problem. We have similar stats to last season - I think we are only three points down - but we are still in the Champions League.

"And there are different circumstances. Some teams have improved a lot from last season, like Manchester City. We need to keep going. Belief is important. We need to try and change the dynamic, to win games and get close the top four. It's a long way until the end of the season."

Tottenham drew 1-1 with Burnley in the reverse fixture at Wembley Stadium after Chris Wood popped up in injury time.