Another London Derby makes it three in a row in the Premier League for Tottenham who face Chelsea on Sunday at White Hart Lane.
Chelsea are currently struggling down in 15th, one of the biggest news stories of this season, while Tottenham are flying high, still unbeaten since the first day of the season. In their last match, Spurs put four past West Ham, while Chelsea also won 1-0 against Norwich.
Harry Kane was again among the scorers for the Lilywhites, along with Toby Alderweireld and Kyle Walker. Diego Costa gave Chelsea a boost after what can only be described as a dismal season, as this win was their first in four games.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side have impressed this season, with the challenge breaking into those Champions League positions. All three points would be valuable to either side, with one fighting to move up the table and put the critics to bed, and the other needing security to sure up sixth place.
Key Battle – Diego Costa vs Harry Kane
Kane and Diego Costa are two of the most talked about strikers in the Premier League. One for their goalscoring prowess and the other for their ability to make headlines. Kane is the highest scoring striker throughout the whole of 2015, while Costa is more famous for causing trouble on the pitch.
However, the Spain international ended his seven-game goal drought by scoring against Norwich last time out, so it will be a dead heat to see who can put their team in front.
Team News
The reoccurrence of an ankle injury means Nabil Bentaleb is a doubt for Sunday after not travelling to Azerbaijan to face Qarabag. The Algerian was expected to be fit for the West Ham game last week after gaining the injury on international duty, but did not face the Hammers.
Tottenham Hotspur Expected XI (4-2-3-1): Lloris (GK); Walker, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Rose; Dier, Dembele; Son, Eriksen, Alli; Kane.
Jose Mourinho has also confirmed that his captain John Terry and midfielder Ramires are doubts for the clash, after Terry hurt his ankle in Tuesday’s game in Europe against Maccabi Tel Aviv. Ramires was set to be in the Champions League squad but suffered a muscle injury in training in Israel on the Monday before.
Unlike Chelsea, who played on Tuesday in the Champions League, Spurs played in Azerbaijan on Thursday night which could leave some of the squad members heavy-legged. Pochettino is still expected to field a strong side, however.
Chelsea Expected XI (4-2-3-1): Begovic (GK); Ivanovic, Zouma, Cahill, Azpilicueta; Fabregas, Matic; Willian, Pedro, Hazard; Costa.
Head-to-Head
The last time the pair met in the Premier League was back in January in a 5-3 thriller which was won by Tottenham. Kane, Danny Rose, Andros Townsend and Nacer Chadli were the scorers for Spurs, while Costa, Eden Hazard and Terry tried to earn Chelsea at least a point. Other than that, the scorelines are more in favour of the Blues, with Tottenham only recording a single win in the last 10 Premier League meetings. The games have mostly ended in losses or draws for the residents of White Hart Lane.
Previous Meeting
As mentioned before, the last time the pair met in the Premier League, the game ended 5-3 with Tottenham coming out on top. However, the last time the two met was in the League Cup final where Chelsea won 2-0, with goals from Terry and Costa. Tottenham will look to get revenge on the now struggling team.
Prediction
With Chelsea struggling, it would be easy to say that Spurs will glide past Mourinho’s side, but with the win against Norwich under their belt, it could fire up the confidence within the team. Obviously Kane will be looking to add to his consecutive goal scoring tally, as well as keeping up the fight against the top four.
Tottenham Hotspur 3 Chelsea 1
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