Tottenham v Chelsea – Blues To Edge Spurs In London Derby

Tottenham host Chelsea in the Premier League at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday. Nuno Espirito Santo has made a good start as Spurs manager but lost 3-0 to Palace last time out largely due to a red card. Chelsea is playing very well in London derbies and has a strong defence so will fancy their chances of a third consecutive win away at their bitter rivals.

Tottenham Form

Spurs have had a pretty good start under Nuno. They beat Man City 1-0 in the first match in a top counter-attacking performance. 1-0 wins at Wolves and against Watford followed albeit thanks to some fortune. The style of play may not be great to watch but the backline looked more solid.

In the Europa Conference League, they progressed 3-1 vs Pacos Ferreira after losing 1-0 away and winning 3-0 at home. Their last league match brought a 3-0 loss to Crystal Palace. The score was 0-0 until the 75th minute and Spurs saw Japhet Tanganga red-carded after 58 minutes and had to chase the match with ten men. Spurs travel to face Rennes on Thursday night and could rest most of their best XI in that clash.

Tottenham Team News

Nuno has a selection headache. Eric Dier is a major doubt at center back and Japhet Tanganga is suspended. Cristian Romero and Davinson Sanchez only arrive back in England on Saturday from quarantine in Croatia. One or both will need to start right away despite three weeks away from the club with Joe Rodon the only other available center-back.

Heung-Min Son remains is expected to miss out and Steven Bergwijn is also a serious doubt. Dele Alli and Lucas Moura could play off Harry Kane. Nuno may be tempted to use two of Romero, Sanchez, and Rodon in a back three alongside Ben Davies to match up to Chelsea.

Tottenham Motivation

Spurs’ new coach focuses on a solid structure without the ball and is not concerned by ball possession numbers. His sides are very dangerous on the counter and tend to park the bus if they go 1-0 up.
The question is whether they can break Chelsea down if they concede the first goal. Nuno may not have much on the bench to turn things around besides Bryan Gil and Gio Lo Celso, who is also just back from quarantine. The first goal in the match is crucial.

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Chelsea Form

Chelsea looks in good form thanks to a very solid defensive base. The side began this season by lifting the UEFA Super Cup before beating Crystal Palace 3-0 and Arsenal 2-0 in the league. A 1-1 draw at Anfield followed after playing with ten men for 45 minutes and defending superbly.

A third Premier League clean sheet followed in a 3-0 win against Aston Villa but the side did allow several decent chances with a makeshift defensive line. In their last match, Chelsea beat Zenit 1-0 at home as Romelu Lukaku scored the winner, his fourth goal in four appearances.

Chelsea Team News

Chelsea has from Tuesday to Sunday to prepare for this match so not much rotation is needed. Thiago Silva is pushing to start at center-back and Reece James is back for domestic action after suspension. He could be benched with Cesar Azpilicueta used as right-wingback..

N’Golo Kante is back in training but Mateo Kovacic is playing well so the Frenchman could be a substitute. Hakim Ziyech is struggling for form and it’s therefore expected for Kai Havertz to return in his place alongside Mason Mount and Lukaku in the front three.

Chelsea Motivation

This is one of Chelsea’s biggest rivalries and a match they know the fans expect them to win. Tuchel’s side will be solid without the ball and look to win 1-0 or 2-0. A draw would be seen as a poor result considering the number of points required to challenge for the league title against Man City and the other title rivals.

Key Stats

Spurs have won eight of their last 10 home PL matches (L2), keeping six clean sheets

Spurs have lost their last 2 home PL matches against Chelsea to nil

Kane has scored just 1 goal in his last 8 PL matches vs Chelsea

Lukaku has scored 4 goals in 4 appearances for Chelsea

Chelsea have kept 22 clean sheets in their last 34 matches

Chelsea have seen under 2.5 goals in 25 of their last 30 matches (all comps)

Chelsea have lost 1 of their last 11 away PL matches (W7, D3)

Chelsea have won each of their last 5 away PL London derbies

Verdict

Chelsea look favorites for this match largely because of their extra rest and greater certainty over their starting XI. Spurs have a bit of a crisis in the backline and Lukaku will fancy his chances even if Romero has played well against him in the past for Atalanta.