Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur meet at Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon, looking to build on their first weekend victories in the Premier League. Spurs easily defeated Southampton, 4-1, before Chelsea won a close game away at Everton later in the day. Chelsea were vulnerable as they faced Everton at Goodison Park, with the club still looking to move players in and out.
Nonetheless, Thomas Tuchel's team prevailed by a 1-0 score, with Jorginho scoring the game's only goal from the penalty spot. There were aspects of Chelsea's performance that would have disappointed their manager, but this was a game where only the final result mattered as Chelsea sought to maintain their lead in the title race. Aside from Marc Cucurella being given a full week with his new teammates, little has changed in terms of new arrivals ahead of this London derby. That said, Tuchel will expect a far more efficient display from his team, who will be aware that they have to develop a ruthless streak in their game similar to that of their opponents.
Antonio Conte's side has been widely tipped to break Liverpool and Manchester City's top-two dominance this season, and they face their first major test against the Italian manager's former employers. Chelsea, on the other hand, will be looking to maintain their winning streak under their new owners. Spurs got off to a flying start, thrashing Southampton 4-1, and look to have a strong squad depth after investing heavily in the summer, bringing in Yves Bissouma, Djed Spence, and Richarlison.
Chelsea, meanwhile, has spent lavishly under new owner Todd Boehly and shows no signs of slowing down. They've spent over £160 million on Marc Cucurella, Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly, and Carney Chukwuemeka so far.
Spurs have been transformed under Antonio Conte from a club struggling to secure Europa League football to a team that looks capable of challenging Manchester City and Liverpool this season. Fulfilling that potential is far easier said than done, but Conte has assembled a squad that will be bitterly disappointed if they do not finish in the top three or win a trophy at the end of the season. Despite a slow start against Southampton last weekend, Spurs responded by scoring four times without either Son Heung-min or Harry Kane scoring.
While Conte will take a certain level of satisfaction out of that, he will acknowledge internally that a game of this magnitude will test the credentials of his players. Spurs head into this contest having lost five successive games against Chelsea and have failed to defeat their rivals in the Premier League since 2018.
Tuchel will consider giving Cucurella his first start, with Ben Chilwell still on the mend from a serious knee injury. Armando Broja is challenging Kai Havertz for a starting spot in the final third, while Tuchel must decide whether to stick with the central-midfield duo of Jorginho and N'Golo Kante. Although Kalidou Koulibaly was forced off with cramp last weekend, the Senegalese is expected to start this game, but Mateo Kovacic is out with a knee injury.
Conte will almost certainly use the same starting lineup from the win over Southampton, barring any injuries. After serving a suspension from his time at Everton, Richarlison is expected to be among the substitutes.
Oliver Skipp is still out with a hairline heel fracture, while Clement Lenglet has a minor adductor problem.
Chelsea's possible starting lineup
Mendy; Azpilicueta, Silva, Koulibaly; James, Jorginho, Kante, Cucurella; Sterling, Mount; Havertz
Tottenham Hotspur's possible starting lineup
Lloris; Romero, Dier, Davies; Emerson, Hojbjerg, Bentancur, Sessegnon, Kulusevski, Kane, Son.
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