Mauricio Pochettino has confirmed that his two defenders – Jan Vertonghen and Kyle Walker (according to Squawka) – will be available for the game against Chelsea tonight. Both defenders missed the 4-1 win over Watford on Sunday due to suspension as a result of picking up their fifth yellow cards in the previous game. In the place of the duo, Pochettino used Kevin Wimmer and Kieran Trippier. Both players are likely to be relegated to the bench with the return of Vertonghen and Walker.
Spurs go into the game high on confidence and they need to be, as they are coming up against a Chelsea team who have won the last 13 matches without any exception. Even though there have been some tough encounters along the way, Antonio Conte’s team has been able to see of them with relative ease. Yet, this fixture will give Spurs a lot of confidence, as the blues do not have a great record at White Hart Lane in recent years. The last victory for Chelsea at White Hart Lane in any competition was back in 2012.
There will also be a lot of motivation within Spurs in order to inflict a defeat upon Chelsea. It would be a revenge for suffering their first defeat of the season at the hands of the blues a few weeks ago. Despite taking the lead at Stamford Bridge through Christian Eriksen, Spurs lost the match 2-1. However, it was largely as a result of Pedro’s brilliant finish just before half-time which changed the entire complexion of the game. The result came at a time when Spurs were going through a very difficult period in domestic and European football.
Now, though, there is a sea change within the club, who are unbeaten in the last nine matches at White Hart Lane. Apart from the 1-0 loss against Manchester United, Spurs have been brilliant since December. They have especially found their scoring boots in the last few games with the team scoring a remarkable 13 goals in four games since that loss against Manchester United.
Harry Kane and Dele Alli will be the players to watch in the match, as they have combined to score 8 goals in the last three matches alone. Spurs would have been expected to win the games against Southampton and Burnley. Chelsea will present a different competition altogether, but Pochettino believes that his team are in a great shape to take on the table leaders. One of the biggest strengths for Chelsea has been the defensive record, with the team conceding only four goals in the last 13 matches.
A win for Spurs would put them level on points with Manchester City, while also helping them overtake rivals Arsenal, who could only draw 3-3 against Bournemouth.
