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The teams are out in N17. Spurs in lily white, Chelsea in royal blue. London derby + expectation + anticipation + fine new stadium x afternoon pints = rare old atmosphere. We’ll be off in a couple of your Greenwich Mean Time minutes.
Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca talks to Sky. “Spurs line up with so many different midfielders … Thomas Frank was doing the same [pressing] with Brentford … they will change nothing … it will be a tough game … we did not expect [to lose against Sunderland] but now we move on … game by game … I don’t have any doubt that we will be there [in the Premier League] but the season will be a marathon.”
Spurs boss Thomas Frank speaks to Sky Sports. “We always try to pick the right team for the right game-plan and opponent … we can tweak a little bit … this team has a very good chance to get the three points … energy … pressing skills … an open game … I think it is going to be a good game … it is a massive opportunity for us today … under the lights … a big game against Chelsea … we will come out with great energy … super excited.”
The 3pms have finished. Spurs are still where they were this morning: in third place, thanks to Manchester United’s failure to win at Nottingham Forest, the game at the City Ground ending 2-2. Chelsea however have slipped from ninth into the bottom half of the table, leapfrogged by Crystal Palace and Brighton & Hove Albion, who beat Brentford 2-0 and Leeds 3-0 respectively. Billy Munday tells all the stories in Clockwatch.
But the table, extremities apart, is tight. Spurs could end the evening in second spot with a win here; Chelsea can rise all the way to third if they beat Spurs by two goals tonight.
Spurs make two changes to the team selected for the 3-0 win at Everton last weekend. Lucas Bergvall and Pape Matar Sarr come in for Brennan Johnson and Xavi Simons, who drop to the bench. Cristian Romero returns from injury but is only good for a place on the bench.
Chelsea also make two changes to the XI that started their last Premier League fixture, the 1-2 home reverse to Sunderland. Wesley Fofana and Malo Gusto replace Josh Acheampong and Marc Guiu, who are both benched. Both sides with slightly more defensive selections than last week, then.
The teams
Tottenham Hotspur: Vicario, Porro, Danso, van de Ven, Spence, Joao Palhinha, Sarr, Kudus, Bentancur, Bergvall, Muani.
Subs: Scarlett, Odobert, Johnson, Romero, Tel, Udogie, Richarlison, Simons, Kinsky.
Chelsea: Sanchez, James, Fofana, Chalobah, Cucurella, Gusto, Caicedo, Pedro Neto, Fernandez, Garnacho, Joao Pedro.
Subs: Jorgensen, Adarabioyo, Bynoe-Gittens, Santos, Hato, Acheampong, Guiu, Estevao, Lavia.
Referee: Jarred Gillett.
VAR: Craig Pawson.
Preamble
There are two ways to look at this. Tottenham Hotspur are currently third in the Premier League, while Chelsea flounder in ninth. So that’s way number one, and it was good for Spurs.
Here’s the other way. Chelsea have won their last four Premier League fixtures against Spurs. They’ve won five of their six Premier League matches at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. They’ve scored four times on each of their last two visits. They’ve only lost one of the last 13 Premier League meetings. They’re 37-8 up on wins in the Premier League era, leading by an aggregate score of 121-63. So that’s way number, er, two, and it’s fair to say the recent record between these two clubs is fairly lopsided.
Hold on, come to think of it, there’s a third way. Spurs have just lost at home to Aston Villa and won well at Everton, while Chelsea won well at Nottingham Forest before losing at home to Sunderland. So way number three suggests we simply don’t know what on earth to expect here tonight. Hey, unpredictability is the fun and lifeblood of football. Kick-off is at 5.30pm GMT. It’s on!
