Tottenham will look to beat Chelsea to secure their Premier League status.
Tottenham Hotspur know their fate remains firmly in their hands as they travel across the capital to take on bitter rivals Chelsea on Tuesday evening.
A point from the final two games should be enough for the Lilywhites to preserve their top-flight status after West Ham’s 3-1 defeat to Newcastle United over the weekend. Spurs sit two points ahead of West Ham, with a game in hand over their London rivals, and they also have a much superior goal difference. This demonstrates that Roberto De Zerbi and Co. are now in the driver’s seat to stay up.
For the first time in several months, Tottenham could win a third match in a row away from home. A big performance will be required at a place where the North Londoners have won just once in the Premier League era.
Roberto De Zerbi backs Tottenham boys to play with pride
Tottenham know their work is far from done in the push for Premier League survival. West Ham dropping points does give them a little bit of cushion, but Roberto De Zerbi would not want his boys to take the relegation battle on the final day of the season. The Italian tactician would demand that the Spurs players do their job against Chelsea and fulfil the objective.
The 46-year-old is well aware of what is at stake for Tottenham heading into the Chelsea game, and he has encouraged his players to play with “courage and pride” and try to win. When asked if the Lilywhites are ready to take advantage of West Ham’s loss at Newcastle, De Zerbi said in his press conference (h/t Football London):
“My players have to be ready to play a good game. To play a game with courage, with pride, with work on the pitch and to try to make three points to win the game, but we have to keep the balance. When we win, we are over. When we lose or maybe like against Leeds, we didn’t win, but we felt something bad. Football is to keep the same balance, if you win or if you lose, in every result.”
Chelsea will do everything possible to beat Tottenham
Chelsea head into the London derby on the back of the FA Cup final defeat to Manchester City. It was not a great performance, and they will be doing everything possible to put things right in front of their fans.
Knowing the heated rivalry between these two clubs, interim boss Calum McFarlane will look to galvanise his boys to beat Spurs and give them food for thought heading into the final day of the campaign. De Zerbi, on the other hand, has stressed the importance of maintaining focus and intensity at this critical juncture.
While the Lilywhites must avoid defeat on Tuesday to clinch safety, the approach from our gaffer and his boys will be to win at Chelsea.