Match preview
Tottenham Hotspur will welcome Chelsea to the Tottenham Stadium in search of a much-needed win after recording a series bad results. The North London club is without a win in their last two outings, recording losses against Liverpool and Brighton. With their Premier League title quest now hanging in a balance, pressure is slowly ramping up on manager Jose Mourinho to deliver.
The Portuguese coach has been forced to make certain alterations with lead-striker and current top goalscorer of his side Harry Kane out with an injury. In the Englishman's absence, confidence has generally been low as the likes of Gareth Bale, Lucas Moura and Vinicius are yet to step up with Heung-min Son also struggling to find the back of the net. Against Chelsea, a good response is of the essence and fans of the club will hope that a change in fortune arrives as soon as possible.
Tottenham will enter the upcoming London derby off the back of a six wins from their last 10 outings. They have registered two losses and two draws within the period. The signs are, however, worrying for the Whites as Jose Mourinho is yet to get the better of Chelsea in his last six attempts. In context, the Portuguese manager could, for the first time in his career, lose successive home matches in the Premier League should his men fail to turn up and resultantly match his longest ever run with a win against a single opponent - seven versus Barcelona between April 2011 and January 2012.
For Chelsea, the objective is to carry on and extend the unbeaten run currently being enjoyed under new boss Thomas Tuchel. The Blues, following the sack of Frank Lampard, have registered a draw and a win against Wolves and Burnley respectively. The true test of character however beckons with their upcoming opponents looking to avoid a third successive loss.
Chelsea have secured nine wins and played out six draws in the 2020-21 Premier League campaign, losing the remaining six games. Despite sitting behind Spurs in eighth position, the Blues are tied on 33 points with their city rivals. They will be looking to get back-to-back wins in the league for the first time since November 2020. With the likes of Everton, Aston Villa, Arsenal, Southampton and Crystal Palace all breathing down their neck, the Stamford Bridge outfit will be more than eager to aim at grabbing the maximum three points.
Key stats
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Tottenham have been defeated in two of their last three home league games against Chelsea.
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Tottenham have not lost successive home league games against Chelsea since a run of three between April 2004-August 2005.
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Chelsea are unbeaten in either of their last four Premier League meetings with Spurs. They have won three and drawn one, keeping a clean sheet in three of these games.
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Chelsea have lost four of their last five away league games this season.
Team news
Tottenham Hotspur will be without Harry Kane when they host Chelsea on Thursday. The English striker is expected to be out for a few weeks after picking up an ankle injury in the defeat to Liverpool. Dele Alli is also ruled out with a tendon injury while Sergio Reguilon and Giovani Lo Celso are also unavailable.
For Chelsea, N'Golo Kante returns to the fold after also recovering full from a hamstring issue. Kai Havertz remains a doubt and will face a late fitness test to be passed ready for the encounter.
Predicted starting lineup
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Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris; Alderweireld, Dier, Rodon; Doherty, Hojbjerg, Sissoko, Davies; Bergwijn, Vinicius, Son
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Chelsea: Mendy; Azpilicueta, Silva, Rudiger; Hudson-Odoi, Kovacic, Kante, Alonso; Pulisic, Werner; Abraham
Broadcast information
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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