CHELSEA may have quietly become Premier League title contenders – but bitter rivals Tottenham will be eager to derail their hopes later today.
The Blues’ recent 5-1 drubbing on struggling Southampton saw them close the gap on leaders Liverpool.
While Spurs dropped points for a second successive time after losing 1-0 to Bournemouth on Thursday night.
- Kick-off time: 4.30pm GMT
- Live stream: NOW TV
- TV channels: Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League
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Last 10 meetings
Look away now, Spurs fans.
The last ten matches between the two clubs has made for pretty shocking reading for Tottenham supporters and great reading for the Blues.
Chelsea have won SEVEN of the last 10 and lost only one.
Those matches have also seen an aggregate score of 19-7 to the Blues…
- Chelsea 2 – 0 Spurs
- Spurs 1 – 4 Chelsea
- Spurs 2 – 0 Chelsea
- Chelsea 2 – 2 Spurs
- Chelsea 2 – 0 Spurs
- Spurs 0 – 1 Chelsea
- Chelsea 2 – 0 Spurs
- Spurs 0 – 3 Chelsea
- Chelsea 2 – 2 Spurs
- Spurs 0 – 1 Chelsea
Rainy day in the capital
Both sides will have to brave the wind and rain today if they want to come out on top and away from the game with three points.
Credit: Reuters Credit: Reuters Boss focussed on task at hand
Postecoglou was asked whether he felt he had the support he requires from the club:
“I don’t need support. I don’t worry about contracts, I don’t worry about support,” he said.
“I just want to make sure that what I set out to do, I accomplish and that is to bring success to this football club.
“I will work my backside off to make sure that happens. I am not going to be deterred in my ambitions or endeavour to do that and that’s what I’ll keep doing.”
Credit: AFP
Maresca looking to evolve team
As things stands, Chelsea seem to be in a race for a top four position this season.
Getting back into the Champions League will have been one of the main aims for the club right now.
Victory in North London today would cement their place in the top four as we head towards a busy Christmas fixture schedule.
Credit: Getty Tottenham subs
Maddison on the bench.
- Austin, Spence, Dragusin, Reguilon, Gray, Bergvall, Maddison, Werner, Lankshear
Tottenham XI
Full strength back four for Tottenham but Vicario still out for a lengthy period.
- Forster; Porro, Romero, Van De Ven, Udogie; Bissouma, Sarr, Kulusevski; Johnson, Solanke, Son.
Chelsea subs
Jorgensen, Gusto, Disasi, Tosin, Veiga, Dewsbury-Hall, Joao Felix, Madueke, Nkunku
Chelsea XI
Caicedo looks like he’s at right-back for Chelsea.
- Sanchez, Caicedo, Badiashile, Colwill, Cucurella, Lavia, Fernandez; Neto, Palmer, Sancho, Jackson
Ange frustrated by lack of consistency
Against Man City, Spurs put the defending champions to the sword in their own back garden.
They are capable, on their day, of causing problems for any of the big teams in the Premier League.
What frustrates the manager most is that they can go from these games to losing to teams in the bottom half of the table.
If they want to achieve anything this season, that needs to be addressed.
Credit: Alamy
Welcome to Tottenham vs Chelsea
It is a big crunch clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as two bitter rivals face each other in a London derby with Spurs welcoming Chelsea.
Ange Postecoglou suffered the loss of Ben Davies with a hamstring problem in their recent defeat against Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.
Micky van de Ven is still out with a thigh problem, while Cristian Romero is still working his way back from a toe injury which may mean Archie Gray filling in alongside Radu Dragusin at the back for this game.
Rodrigo Bentancur, Guglielmo Vicario, Richarlison, Mikey Moore and Wilson Odobert are also out of the first-team reckoning.
Son Heung-min came on for a second-half cameo in midweek and is likely to immediately come back into the starting line-up.
Chelsea’s primary selection concerns also come in defence as Wesley Fofana and Reece James are the only senior players missing for the visitors due to injury.
Youngster Omari Kellyman is also absent, while Mykhaylo Mudryk is ill. Instead Pedro Neto, Jadon Sancho and Nicolas Jackson could all come back in for a refreshed attacking setup at the expense of Madueke, Nkunku and Joao Felix.
Levi Colwill and Robert Sanchez are also primed for a return in the Blues’ backline but Disasi’s performance in midweek should see him stay in the side replacing Fofana.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
