Chelsea host Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon.
It’s the third game between the sides this month following a two-legged Carabao Cup semi final tie which Chelsea came out on top.
Antonio Ruediger of Chelsea celebrates with Romelu Lukaku after scoring during the Carabao Cup Semi Final Second Leg against between Tottenham Hotspur (Getty Images)
The comeback against Leicester City means Spurs have remain unbeaten in the league since Antonio Conte arrived and are just eight points behind Chelsea with four games in hand.
They will now be looking to take that momentum into this all-London clash on Sunday
Despite Chelsea winning run to Carabao final,they have been in patchy form of late in PL, winless in four Premier League matches, and won just one of their previous seven, adding a huge emphasis to get back to winning ways this weekend.
Sunday’s Premier League meeting could be a huge one in the battle to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Team News
Chelsea have been boosted by the news that Trevor Chalobah and Reece James have both returned to training following recent injuries, but neither player will be considered for selection this weekend.
Recce James has been out since the game before, against Brighton, when he went off with a more serious hamstring injury which seems like game ending this season but ‘He is back on the pitch which is good news, but he is in individual training so far away from being a part of the squad for Sunday’ Tuchel added.
Ben Chilwell is out for the remainder of the season following knee surgery, while Andreas Christensen (COVID-19) and Edouard Mendy (international duty) will again miss out for the home side.
Tottenham
Eric Dier is available for selection once again following injury, while Christian Romero misses out and not expected to be back until the international break. Another name on list of absentees is Son Heung-min.
Conte admitted that his side have a couple of “fresh injuries” but refused to disclose the information in his press conference ahead of the Chelsea’s clash.
Tottenham will be buoyed by the news of skipper Hugo Lloris extending his contract by 2-years during the weekend.
Harry Kane’s Future
Antonio Conte believes Harry Kane’s future should be a discussion for another day as he is busy building “something for the present” with Tottenham Hotspur.
“Then as you know very well, now it is important to be focused on the present, this is the most important thing in this moment.”
Antonio Conte also praised his contribution in Tottenham’s win against Leicester, ‘I am really surprised in a positive way to see this characteristic of the play.’
Possible Lineups
Chelsea possible starting lineup(343):
Kepa; Sarr, Silva, Rudiger; Azpilicueta, Kante, Jorginho, Alonso; Mount, Lukaku, Ziyech
Tottenham Hotspurs possible starting lineup(352):
Lloris; Sanchez, Dier, Davies; Emerson, Skipp, Winks, Hojbjerg, Reguilon; Kane, Lucas
Opta stats
- Chelsea have won five of their last six league games against Spurs (D1), keeping five clean sheets in the process.
- Tottenham have won just one of their last 31 away league games against Chelsea (D10 L20), winning 3-1 in April 2018 with current boss Antonio Conte in charge of the Blues that day.
- Tottenham have lost 13 of their 17 away games in all competitions against reigning European champions (W2 D2), with those victories coming at Nottingham Forest in November 1980 (3-0) and Liverpool in March 1985 (1-0).
- Tottenham have failed to score in each of their last five meetings with Chelsea in all competitions. They’ve never gone six games without a goal against an opponent in their history.
- Tottenham striker Harry Kane has scored 39 goals in 65 Premier League London derby matches, second only to Thierry Henry (43) in the history of the competition.
- Tottenham are unbeaten in all nine of their Premier League games under Antonio Conte, the best unbeaten start for a Spurs manager in their league history (six wins, three draws).
- Tottenham have conceded more Premier League goals against Chelsea (106) than they have against any other opponent.
- Five of Tottenham’s last six away defeats in the Premier League have been in London.
Prediction
Chelsea 2:1 Tottenham
This is a very difficult match to call, with Chelsea struggling to win Premier League games in recent weeks.
In their last 11 Premier League games, Chelsea have averaged just 1.5 expected goals per 90 minutes and in those 11 matches, Chelsea have had just 8.4 shots from open play per 90 minutes, which is the 11th-best of all the teams in the Premier League.
Whereas Tottenham averaged 2.5 expected goals per 90 minutes over their last seven fixtures including their 3:2 win over Leicester and will be full of confidence after their late turnaround to claim all three points against Leicester City in midweek.
Tottenham are a much-improved outfit under Conte’s management. However, It’s tough to look past just how easily Chelsea dispatched Tottenham in the Carabao Cup even in light of Spurs’ Premier League form under Conte.
Which we believe the host have enough quality to secure the win on their own turf or at least share the spoils at Stamford Bridge this weekend.