JOSE Fonte has branded Saints’ festive fixture list “ridiculous” and claimed: “It’s not fair on our health.”

Saints are preparing to welcome Arsenal to St Mary’s tomorrow for the traditional New Year’s Day match.

It will be their third Premier League game in the space of seven days, after the Boxing Day win at Crystal Palace and the 1-1 draw with Chelsea just 48 hours later.

Fonte is no stranger to playing three times in seven days over the Christmas and New Year’s Day period, with Saints having had that fixture list in the previous two seasons.

The one big change this year was that there was only a one-day gap between the Boxing Day game and the next one – compared to a tw-day break in both 2012/13 and 2013/14.

And Fonte believes that makes a massive difference.

Sunderland boss Gus Poyet called it a “disgrace” that clubs had to play on Boxing Day and again two days later.

Saints had to face table-topping Chelsea just two days after winning at Palace, and Fonte said: “We worked really hard.

“It was hard after a game only two days earlier.

“Some players were amazing with the effort that they put in.

“It’s very demanding from us, and I don’t think there should be a 28th (December) game, like (Gus) Poyet says.

“It’s ridiculous.

“It’s not fair on our health, but it is what it is and we did the job.”

Saints only one had day off between games after Christmas in the club’s first League 1 season in 2009/10, losing at Colchester 48 hours after beating Exeter City at St Mary’s.

Saints would have had the same fixture list in 2010/11, hosting Huddersfield on December 28 – two days after their scheduled game at Charlton had been postponed due to an icy pitch.

Saints were then in action again on New Year’s Day, beating Exeter 4-0.

Back in the Premier League’s second season, 1993/94, Saints and their top flight rivals played on consecutive days over the festive period.

On December 27 1993 Ian Branfoot’s side beat Chelsea 3-1 at The Dell, before losing 1-0 at Manchester City the following day.

There was a full fixture list on New Year’s Day, too, meaning three games in six days.

It was an even more hectic period for Saints the following season, 1994/95, with four games in eight days!

Alan Ball’s men lost 3-2 at home to Wimbledon on Boxing Day, drew 2-2 at QPR two days later, drew 2-2 with Manchester United on New Year’s Eve and drew again on January 2, 1-1 at Sheffield Wednesday.

Imagine the Premier League managers putting up with that fixture list nowadays!