Thomas Tuchel goes in search of his second win as Chelsea manager as the Blues travel to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to take on their North London rivals, managed by none other than Jose Mourinho. These are the matches any Chelsea supporter gets excited for, it’s Spurs vs Chelsea as the Blues aim to once again get one over former manager Jose Mourinho.
In Mourinho’s first full season at the North London club, Spurs started the season strongly and had lost just once in their opening 12 matches. The Lilywhites were very much in the title race but have since seen a drop in form and now sit 11 points off the summit.
Spurs vs Chelsea: Recent Form
Chelsea go into this match against Spurs in good spirits following Sunday’s 2-0 win over Burnley in what was an impressive victory. The Blues have now won three out of a possible eight and will be hoping that a win here will be the start of a great run of form.
Since Thomas Tuchel has come in, there has been a change in system with the German implementing a three at the back formation, something Antonio Conte did during his tenure. So far, we have seen Callum Hudson-Odoi flourish at wing-back whilst the likes of Christian Pulisic and Kai Havertz have shown signs of promise.
Chelsea have struggled in matches against the ‘big six’ this season, failing to win any and picking up just two points from 15. Meanwhile, it is a different case for Spurs, who have won three out of six matches, drawing once and losing two, which have both come against champions Liverpool.
As for Spurs, Jose Mourinho has seen his side in dire form recently with four defeats out of eight and put in a very poor showing in their last match away at Brighton, going down 1-0 to the Seagulls. A few days before that match, the North London side fell to a disappointing 3-1 at home to Liverpool meaning they have lost back-to-back matches heading into this clash.
Both sides are currently level on points with each other, sitting on 33 points in but Spurs are ahead of the Blues on goal difference in 6th and 7th respectively. Seven points are separated between the two and 4th placed Liverpool.
A Chelsea win will see them leapfrog their opponents whilst Spurs and Mourinho will pull further ahead of Chelsea with three points in this encounter.
We’ve Met Before: Mourinho helps Spurs punish Chelsea
The last time Chelsea faced Spurs was at the end of November, the 29th to be specific. Jose Mourinho led his side to Stamford Bridge where a win for a either side would have taken them to the top of the table. At the time, it was one of the biggest matches of the season with many expecting it to be an entertaining affair.
However, the game did not live up to everyone’s expectations as it ended in a very dull 0-0 draw. Both sides very much sat back and defended for the majority of the game and had little to no attempts on goal. Chelsea came the closest to scoring whilst Spurs had chances to win the game too. Nonetheless, both were certainly satisfied with a point but it was a poor match in truth.
Things have certainly changed since that match as both sides have had a drastic dip in form and are well off the pace at the top. A win for the Blues will be a move in the right direction and very much back into the top four race.
Player to Watch: Marcos Alonso
If there is to be one man to look out for on Thursday night, it’s Marcos Alonso. At the start of the season, the Spaniard fell out with Frank Lampard during the West Brom match and was left out of the matchday squad for a number of months. However, following the sacking of Lampard, new manager Thomas Tuchel has given Alonso a new lease of life as he started on Sunday and got himself on the scoresheet in the 2-0 win over Burnley. In what was a solid performance, Alonso will most likely be in line to retain his place in the starting eleven.
The full-back has had a history of scoring against Spurs and scored a stunning goal in the 2-1 victory over the North London club last February. Not only that, at the start of the 2017-2018 season, the Spaniard scored a brace, including an excellent free-kick, as the Blues defeated Spurs 2-1 at Wembley. If anyone is to be on the scoresheet for Chelsea on Thursday, you certainly wouldn’t put it past Alonso to bag.
Team News
Chelsea
Going into this match, Kurt Zouma and Kai Havertz are doubtful for Tuchel’s side after both picked up injuries in training. However, apart from that, the German has a fully fit squad to choose from and could potentially name an unchanged side from the win over Burnley. Hakim Ziyech is likely to return to the fray having been rested on Sunday whilst we could see N’Golo Kante make an appearance following a hamstring problem.
It is likely that Marcos Alonso and Callum Hudson-Odoi will both retain their places at wing-back having thrived there against Burnley. Either one of Mateo Kovacic and Jorginho may start alongside Kante or maybe even the two once again start in that midfield pivot.
Meanwhile, in attack, Werner is likely to start on the left with Olivier Giroud starting up top ahead of Tammy Abraham. Christian Pulisic is pushing for a start having impressed off the bench in the last two games which could see Mason Mount drop to the bench.
Spurs
The most notable absentee within the Spurs camp is striker and key player Harry Kane, who sustained an ankle injury in the Liverpool match last week, meaning he will be sidelined for few more weeks. Kane’s injury is a huge blow for Jose Mourinho, who has netted 12 goals and provided 11 assists.
As well as this, Tanguy Ndombele is likely to miss out in this game having come off injured in the Brighton defeat on Sunday whilst Sergio Reguilon and Giovani Lo Celso are all but certain to miss out. There is also a growing uncertainty over Serge Aurier which could see summer signing Matt Doherty retain his place.
Following a poor performance on Sunday, Gareth Bale is expected to be dropped with Carlos Vinicius in line to start at striker in a front three with Heung-Min Son and Steven Bergwijn. Another man who is expected to start is Eric Dier in place of Davinson Sánchez in a back three with Toby Alderweireld and Joe Rodon.
Spurs vs Chelsea: Predicted Line-Ups
Chelsea (3-4-3): Mendy; Rüdiger, Silva, Azpilicueta (c); Hudson-Odoi, Kanté, Kovacic, Alonso; Pulisic, Giroud, Werner
Spurs (3-4-3): Lloris (c); Alderweireld, Dier, Rodon; Doherty, Hojbjerg, Sissoko, Davies; Bergwijn, Vinicius, Son
Spurs vs Chelsea: Final Details
- When: Feb 4th 2021
- Where: Tottenham Hotspur’s Stadium
- Time: 20:00 GMT
- Match Officials – Referee: Andre Marriner; Assistants: Scott Ledger, Simon Long; Fourth Official: Andy Madley; VAR: Stuart Attwell; Assistant VAR: Adam Nunn.
Written by Noah Robson (@noahr24)
Edited by Tom Coley (@tomcoley49) & Rob Pratley
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