The London derby will wrap up Saturday's Premier League action as Chelsea host Tottenham at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea have made notable strides under the management of Xabi Alonso, following up two consecutive victories after the international break. Their emphatic 5-1 thrashing of Bournemouth was complemented by a hard-fought win over an Everton side that had been unbeaten until then. A brace from Pedro Neto secured the much-needed three points, and a tactical shift led the Blues to their first clean sheet in the Premier League since January.
On the other side, Tottenham breathed a sigh of relief after their win against Coventry City, marking their first league victory of the season. Despite showing promise in earlier matches, Roberto De Zerbi's men had struggled to convert their performances into points. However, building on this success will be a tall order given their woeful record at Stamford Bridge.
Xabi Alonso has shown respect towards Tottenham ahead of the clash.
I've seen a good team with unfortunate results. We expect a tough game. We need to be ready. It’s still too early for everything.
The Stamford Bridge curse and key players
Historically, Chelsea holds the upper hand in this rivalry, and Spurs fans have been haunted by their team's poor performances at Stamford Bridge for decades. In this century, Tottenham has managed just one away victory against Chelsea in the Premier League — a 3-1 triumph in 2018, which saw Dele Alli score twice. In fact, that remains Chelsea's only home defeat to their London neighbours across all competitions since 1990.
Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers thrive against Tottenham. Palmer boasts five goal involvements in five matches against Spurs, while Rogers found the net six times in six appearances for Aston Villa. Both players have started the season strongly, developing a fruitful partnership with top scorer Joao Pedro. Experts are tipping the home side for a 3-1 victory.
Injury concerns and probable line-ups
Heading into the match, Chelsea face some injury issues. Xabi Alonso confirmed that Malo Gusto is back, but Pep Chavarria is sidelined due to injury. Marco Palastra or Yorrell Hato will fill in at left-back, and young Mike Penders will make his Premier League debut in goal following Emiliano Martinez's jaw surgery. Reece James, Jamie Gittens, and Emmanuel Emeka remain unavailable.
Expected Chelsea line-up (3-4-2-1):
Mike Penders; Josh Achimpong, Maxence Lacroix, Levi Colwill; Pedro Neto, Jordan Henderson, Moises Caicedo, Marco Palastra; Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers; Joao Pedro.
Tottenham also have their share of injury woes. Javi Simons and Wilson Odober continue to recover from ACL tears, while Destiny Udogie, Savinho, and Lucas Bergvall have recently joined the injury list. Pedro Porro may not regain fitness in time, potentially paving the way for Archie Gray. Roberto De Zerbi has confirmed that Andy Robertson and Tosin Adarabioyo are fit to participate. The return of Dejan Kulusevski, who missed 526 days due to a serious injury, is a significant boost.
Expected Tottenham line-up (4-2-3-1):
Antonin Kinski; Archie Gray, Jan Paul van Hecke, Micky van de Ven, Andy Robertson; Sandro Tonali, Mateusz Fernandez; Mohammed Kudus, James Maddison, Omar Marmush; Dominic Solanke.
