Jose Mourinho and Thomas Tuchel meet in the dugouts for the first time ever as Chelsea travel to north London in a mouth-watering clash on Thursday evening.
And what better occasion to introduce each other than a derby match where the stakes are sky-high?
Tuchel will be looking to firmly announce himself on the Premier League scene with a win over the Blues’ top four rivals. Three points could be the catalyst his side needs, giving a fractured team belief they can kick on and qualify in the fabled Champions League spots.
Mourinho will have other ideas, however. His Spurs side come into the match off the back of two dismal results and the enigmatic coach will be hoping his side can reverse their form and mount an assault on the top four.
The stage is set for a season-defining match-up.
Team News
After a steady start to life as Chelsea head coach, Tuchel will face a true test of character on Thursday. In complete contrast to Mourinho’s situation, the Blues’ boss faces no serious injury concerns going into the match.
There are questions over Hakim Ziyech’s fitness after Tuchel said he was in the ‘red zone’ for injury risk prior to Sunday’s victory over Burnley, but, having been rested for the 2-0 win, he should be fully recuperated.
In his press conference on Wednesday, Tuchel stated Kurt Zouma and Kai Havertz are doubts after picking up injuries in training, adding “it’s questionable” whether they will be in the squad after coming off the training pitch with “little issues”. (ChelseaFC)
N’Golo Kante is expected to rejoin the matchday squad for the first time since the 3-1 defeat to Manchester City on January 3. The French midfielder has fully recovered from a hamstring injury, much to the delight of Tuchel who described him as someone he has wanted in his team for many years.
The Chelsea head coach is spoilt for choice at the moment but is expected to keep faith in the majority of the team which beat Burnley at the weekend, suggesting back-to-back starts out wide for Alonso and Callum Hudson-Odoi are on the cards.
For Tottenham, Mourinho will be scratching his head trying to conjure up a winning formula without club captain Harry Kane. Spurs’ top-scorer will be sidelined for another couple of weeks due to the ankle issues which have plagued him throughout recent years. (BBC)
Kane is arguably Tottenham’s biggest creative threat and, in his absence, they will now be looking to Tanguy Ndombele to pull the strings. Yet, to Mourinho’s dismay, the rejuvenated Frenchman was forced off through injury in Sunday’s 1-0 loss to lowly Brighton and thus remains a doubt for the derby.
With Gareth Bale looking underwhelming against Brighton, he was hauled off just after the hour mark. It would not be a surprise for Mourinho to now turn to Carlos Vinicius in a bid to bring in attacking firepower.
Other players sidelined for the side from north London include Sergio Reguilon, Dele Alli and Giovani Lo Celso, while Serge Aurier reportedly stormed out the stadium after being substituted on Sunday so expect him to be dropped. (Tottenham)
Match Facts
- Tottenham haven’t beaten Chelsea during 90 minutes in their last six attempts
- Thursday’s encounter is the 169th meeting between the two clubs in all competitions, with Chelsea boasting 72 wins compared to Tottenham’s 55
- Tottenham have failed to score against Chelsea in three of their last four league meetings
- The last fixture between the two sides ended 0-0 in November last year.
Form (All competitions)
Chelsea – WLWDW
Sunday 31st January 2021 – Chelsea 2-0 Burnley
Wednesday 27th January 2021 – Chelsea 0-0 Wolves
Sunday 24th January 2021 – Chelsea 3-1 Luton Town
Tuesday 19th January 2021 – Leicester City 2-0 Chelsea
Saturday 16th January 2021 – Fulham 0-1 Chelsea
Tottenham – DWWLL
Sunday 31st January 2021 – Brighton 1-0 Tottenham
Thursday 28th January 2021 – Tottenham 1-3 Liverpool
Monday 25th January 2021 – Wycombe 1-4 Tottenham
Sunday 17th January 2021 – Sheffield United 1-3 Tottenham
Wednesday 13th January 2021 – Tottenham 1-1 Fulham
Predicted Lineups
Tottenham – Lloris; Alderweireld, Dier, Rodon; Doherty, Hojbjerg, Sissoko, Davies; Bergwijn, Vinicius, Son
Chelsea – Mendy; Azpilicueta, Silva, Rudiger; Hudson-Odoi, Mount, Kante, Alonso; Pulisic, Werner; Giroud
Score Prediction
Tottenham 0-2 Chelsea