Tottenham vs Chelsea preview: Team news, key battles and more
The same week that ‘The Apprentice” aired its season finale, Frank Lampard will take on Jose Mourinho in what promises to be a pivotal clash in the race for Champions League qualification.
Mourinho’s midfield talisman from his time at Chelsea, Lampard will have picked up a few tricks which he may now seek to use against the familiar face masquerading as a foe.
They have already faced each other once before when Lampard’s Derby County played against Mourinho’s Manchester United in a League Cup clash at Old Trafford in 2018. The student bested the master that day as Derby won the game on penalties. Mourinho will not have forgotten that.
There is much more at stake today and the result may define where both the clubs end up.
When Jose Mourinho took over, Spurs were in a free fall and 9 points behind Chelsea in fourth. Five matches later, a resurgent Tottenham side can overtake Chelsea if they win at home on Sunday.
The contrast couldn’t be starker with Chelsea losing 4 of the last 5 games in the League. They now find themselves adrift of the top 3 and just about clinging onto the fourth spot.
With the fight for the final Champions League spot looking likely to be a shootout between these two rivals, it promises to be a feisty affair, with the winner gaining a huge psychological edge over the other in the race for fourth.
Team News
Tottenham Hotspur
Erik Lamela, Hugo Lloris and Ben Davies miss out for Spurs with an injury. Tanguy Ndombele is expected to be fit for the clash with him likely to start on the bench. Danny Rose is out of favour and will not feature along with Lo Celso, who has gotten accustomed to the bench.
Mourinho looks set to start the same XI as he has of late, keeping changes to a minimum.
Chelsea
Ruben Loftus-Cheek is unavailable for Chelsea with Lampard having a fit squad to choose from. The boss will have to deal with a loss of confidence that seems to have afflicted his team.
Predicted XI
Tottenham Hotspur
Paulo Gazzaniga, Serge Aurier, Davinson Sanchez, Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen, Eric Dier, Moussa Sissoko, Lucas Moura, Delle Alli, Son Heung-Min, Harry Kane
Chelsea
Kepa Arrizabalaga, Emerson Palmieri, Antonio Rudiger, Kurt Zouma, Cesar Azpilicueta, Mateo Kovacic, N’Golo Kante, Jorginho, Christian Pulisic, Willian, Tammy Abraham
Key Battles
Toby Alderweireld vs Tammy Abraham
Fresh after signing a new contract, Toby Alderweireld has enough skill and experience in his locker to keep Abraham quiet. Abraham, who is Chelsea’s top-scorer this season, enjoyed a fine start only to see his performance dip over the last few weeks.
Alderweireld ‘s positional awareness should help him negate Abraham’s pace and keep the Englishman in check.
More Tottenham News
Spurs fans took to Twitter to react to Toby Alderweireld’s new contract
Tottenham are keen on Real Madrid youngster Vinicius Junior
French international Layvin Kurzara could be on his way to Tottenham
N’Golo Kante vs Moussa Sissoko
It is no secret that Kante is the heart of the Chelsea team and if he has a bad day, so does his team. With Chelsea already suffering a crisis of confidence, Tottenham should try to negate the effect Kante has on the pitch which can help us take control of the midfield.
Moussa Sissoko has been shown a great amount of faith by Mourinho and he will now have to step up and be counted.
