A midweek London derby is on the cards as Tottenham make the journey across the capital to take on arch-rivals Chelsea on Thursday evening.
These two teams had a completely crazy clash at N17 last November, with the clash marking a turning point in Ange Postecoglou’s debut season. Spurs have never played with the same enthusiasm since a 4-1 defeat full of red cards and crippling injuries.
The Lilywhites were beaten in Sunday’s North London derby despite making an impressive second-half recovery and with games remaining they now face an uphill battle for a place in the top four.
Chelsea have endured a campaign of indifference in Mauricio Pochettino’s debut season but have a knack for defeating their London rivals in all circumstances.
After suffering a 5-0 defeat at Arsenal last Tuesday, Chelsea struggled to a point at Aston Villa on Saturday and could have escaped with all three points had VAR not intervened at the death. The Blues remain difficult to beat on home soil and they still have a chance of securing European football for next season.
Here is 90 minutes Preview the game.
Chelsea vs Tottenham H2H record (last five games)
Current form (all competitions)
|
Chelsea |
Tottenham |
|---|---|
|
Aston Villa 2-2 Chelsea – 04/27/24 |
Tottenham 2-3 Arsenal – 04/28/24 |
|
Arsenal 5-0 Chelsea – 04/23/24 |
Newcastle 4-0 Tottenham – 04/13/24 |
|
Man City 1-0 Chelsea – 04/20/24 |
Tottenham 3-1 Nottingham Forest – 04/07/24 |
|
Chelsea 6-0 Everton – 04/15/24 |
West Ham 2-2 Tottenham – 04/02/24 |
|
Sheffield Utd 2-2 Chelsea – 04/07/24 |
Tottenham 2-1 Luton Town – 30/03/24 |
|
country |
TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
|
Great Britain |
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 the pitch at Villa Park on Saturday evening and is a major doubt for Thursday’s game.
He is one of several players Pochettino will be without for Tottenham’s visit. 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.
Predicted line-up for Chelsea against Tottenham (4-2-3-1): Petrovic; Chalobah, Disasi, Badiashile, Cucurella; Caicedo, Gallagher; Madueke, Palmer, Mudryk; Jackson.
Timo Werner is unlikely to feature after suffering a hamstring injury in the North London derby. As a result, there could be a reshuffle in Spurs’ front line, with Son Heung-min starting wide on the left and Richarlison returning to the team to lead the way.
Destin Udogie is out for the rest of the season due to thigh surgery. Ben Davies should continue at left-back.
Udogie and Werner join Ryan Sessegnon, Fraser Forster and Manor Solomon on the sidelines.
Predicted line-up for Tottenham against Chelsea (4-3-3): Deputy; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Davies; Bissouma, Sarr, Kulusevski; Johnson, Richarlison, son.
Given what happened in the first leg, the two have a lot to offer. We shouldn’t expect chaos of this magnitude on Thursday night, but the unpredictability surrounding both teams means this should be an entertaining event.
Chelsea so often get the better of their London rivals and their record at Stamford Bridge in 2024 is impressive. Tottenham don’t usually win on this ground and could fail again on Thursday evening.
Spurs suffer from a lack of rhythm and proved somewhat predictable in the final third. Their vulnerabilities from set pieces are also evident and that is an opportunity the hosts will look to exploit.