The midweek London derby looms as Tottenham make the trip across the capital to face bitter rivals Chelsea on Thursday night.
The two teams played a bonkers encounter in the N17 last November, and the competition served as a pivotal moment in Ange Postecoglou's first season. Spurs haven't played with the same verve since their 4-1 defeat riddled with red cards and crippling injuries.
The Lilywhites were beaten in Sunday's North London Derby despite a strong second-half comeback, and now face an uphill battle for a top-four finish given their remaining games.
Chelsea have endured a lackluster campaign in Mauricio Pochettino's first season, but they have the ability to topple their London rivals regardless of the circumstances.
After a 5-0 defeat at Arsenal last Tuesday, Chelsea fought back for a point at Aston Villa on Saturday and could have gone all three had VAR not intervened at the death. The Blues are always hard to beat at home, and they still have a chance to secure European football next season.
Here it is 90 min game preview.
Chelsea vs Tottenham H2H Record (Last Five Matches)
Current form (all competitions)
|
Chelsea |
Tottenham |
|---|---|
|
Aston Villa 2-2 Chelsea – 27/04/24 |
Tottenham 2-3 Arsenal – 28/04/24 |
|
Arsenal 5-0 Chelsea – 23/04/24 |
Newcastle 4-0 Tottenham – 13/04/24 |
|
Man City 1-0 Chelsea – 20/04/24 |
Tottenham 3-1 Nottingham Forest – 07/04/24 |
|
Chelsea 6-0 Everton – 15/04/24 |
West Ham 2-2 Tottenham – 02/04/24 |
|
Sheffield Utd 2-2 Chelsea – 07/04/24 |
Tottenham 2-1 Luton Town – 30/03/24 |
|
The country |
TV channel/live streaming |
|---|---|
|
United Kingdom |
Sky Sports Premier League, Sky Sports Main Event, SKY GO Extra, Sky Ultra HD |
|
United States |
Peacock |
|
Canada |
fuboTV |
Thiago Silva, who will leave the club at the end of the season, limped off at Villa Park on Saturday night and is a major doubt for Thursday's game.
He is one of several players that Pochettino should not be on the Tottenham tour. Reece James, Romeo Lavia, Ben Chilwell, Enzo Fernandez, Lesley Ugochukwu, Malo Gusto, Carney Chukwuemeka and Wesley Fofana are all out.
Raheem Sterling, Levi Colwill, Robert Sanchez and Christopher Nkunku are doubtful, but each will be assessed ahead of the competition.
Chelsea predicted to face Tottenham (4-2-3-1): Petrovic; Chaloba, Diasi, Badiashile, Cucurella; Caicedo, Gallagher; Madueke, Palmer, Mudryk; Jackson.
Timo Werner is unlikely to feature after suffering a hamstring injury in the North London Derby. There could be a reshuffle up front for Spurs as a result, with Son Heung-min starting on the left and Richarlison returning to the team to start up front.
Destin Udogie is out for the rest of the season after undergoing thigh surgery. Ben Davies should continue at left back.
Udogie and Werner join Ryan Sessegnon, Fraser Forster, and Manor Solomon on the sidelines.
Tottenham predicted to face Chelsea (4-3-3): Vicar; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Davies; Bissouma, Sarr, Kulusevski; Johnson, Richardson, Son.
These two have a lot to live up to given what happened in the back game. We shouldn't expect as much chaos at that rate on Thursday night, but the uncertainty surrounding both teams means this should be an entertaining watch.
Chelsea are often better than their London rivals, and their record at Stamford Bridge in 2024 is astonishing. Tottenham don't usually win at this stadium, and they could fail again on Thursday night.
Spurs suffer from a lack of rhythm and have proved somewhat predictable in the final third. Their vulnerability from set-pieces is evident, too, and that's the way the hosts will aim to exploit it.
Prediction: Chelsea 2-1 Tottenham
READ THE LATEST PREMIER LEAGUE NEWS, RUMORS AND GOSSIP
Source link
