The two teams last faced off in a thrilling seven-goal affair in North London just four months ago, with Chelsea emerging victorious 4-3.
Chelsea's winning streak across all competitions was interrupted just before the international break, as they were defeated 1-0 by Arsenal at the Emirates on March 16. A first-half header from Mikel Merino handed Chelsea their third Premier League loss in five matches, leaving them in sixth place in the table.
They're now two points behind Manchester City in fourth and one point behind Newcastle in fifth, following wins from both clubs on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Brentford, in 11th, are only eight points behind Chelsea, with nine matches remaining in the season.
As Chelsea looks to avoid a third consecutive season finishing outside the top five, they still have plenty of work ahead to secure a Champions League spot for next season. The Blues are gearing up for a series of important fixtures, including three matches against teams in the bottom half of the table and their two-legged Conference League quarter-final against Legia Warsaw later this month.
At Stamford Bridge, Chelsea will be hoping to continue their recent home form. They’ve won their last four Premier League games at home, keeping a clean sheet in their last two against Southampton (4-0) and Leicester (1-0). Only once in the past five seasons have Chelsea won three consecutive home games without conceding, doing so from April to May 2024, which included a 2-0 victory over Spurs.
Chelsea has had the upper hand in this fixture historically, winning 36 Premier League matches against Tottenham and scoring 120 goals, more than any other team in the league. Only three other teams—Arsenal, Manchester United, and Liverpool—have scored more goals against a single opponent in the Premier League.
Tottenham, like Chelsea, couldn’t secure all three points in their final match before the international break, suffering a 2-0 defeat to Fulham. Goals from Rodrigo Muniz and former Spurs player Ryan Sessegnon handed Tottenham their 15th loss of the season, leaving them in 14th place, 10 points adrift of the top half.
Europa League success may be Tottenham's best hope for silverware this season, and with manager Ange Postecoglou’s position under increasing scrutiny following the defeat at Fulham, he faces the prospect of becoming the first Spurs manager to lose his first four league matches against Chelsea if his team falls short on Thursday.
Tottenham has struggled in London derbies this season, earning just 10 points from a possible 27, with five losses out of nine matches (W3 D1). Their record in derbies this season is their worst in decades, and they have not won at Stamford Bridge since a 3-1 victory in April 2018.
Heading into Thursday's match, Tottenham has also been poor on the road, having lost eight of their 14 away games this season. Only Leicester and Southampton have lost more matches away from home. The last time Spurs suffered more away defeats in a single Premier League season was in 2008-09, when they lost 11.
With both teams desperate for points, Thursday's match at Stamford Bridge promises to be a highly charged London derby.
INJURIES & SUSPENSIONS
Chelsea will be without Mykhaylo Mudryk (suspended), Marc Guiu, and Omari Kellyman (both hamstring injuries) for their upcoming match against Tottenham. Romeo Lavia, who has been struggling with injury, is now a major doubt due to an unspecified issue. However, manager Enzo Maresca confirmed that Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson, and Noni Madueke are all fit and available for selection, having returned to training after injury setbacks.
With both Palmer and Jackson back, we could see Pedro Neto move from a makeshift central role to the right wing. Jadon Sancho and Christopher Nkunku will likely be competing for a spot on the left side of the attack.
Reece James, who played in midfield against Arsenal, may switch back to his usual right-back position. Wesley Fofana could then move into central defense alongside Levi Colwill. Maresca will also have to decide whether to stick with Robert Sanchez in goal, who has started three of Chelsea's last four games, or bring Filip Jorgensen back into the lineup.
As for Tottenham, they’ll be missing Radu Dragusin (ACL), Dejan Kulusevski (foot), Kevin Danso (hamstring), and Richarlison (calf) due to injuries. However, manager Ange Postecoglou confirmed that Lucas Bergvall is fit to return after recovering from an illness that forced him to withdraw from the Sweden squad during the international break.
With Danso out, Cristian Romero could partner Micky van de Ven at center-back, a combination that has not been seen in the Premier League since their meeting with Chelsea in December. Postecoglou will also decide whether to start the in-form Djed Spence over Pedro Porro or Destiny Udogie, who can play at right-back or left-back, respectively.
Son Heung-min, who has come off the bench in the last three Premier League matches, could return to the starting XI on the left wing, possibly at the expense of Mathys Tel. James Maddison, Pape Matar Sarr, and Wilson Odobert are all also in contention to start.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Sanchez; James, Fofana, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Neto, Palmer, Sancho; Jackson
Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:
Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Spence; Sarr, Bentancur, Maddison; Johnson, Solanke, Son
EXPERT PREDICTION
Chelsea 2-1 Tottenham
