Tottenham suffered a disappointing loss to Arsenal in the North London Derby, which has put their pursuit of a top-four spot at risk. They now face Chelsea in a crucial game for both teams. With Borussia Dortmund defeating PSG in the first leg of the semifinals, it has been confirmed that England will not be granted the fifth Champions League spot based on the co-efficient. This makes the upcoming game against Chelsea even more important for Tottenham.
No football fan would ever forget the earlier meeting between these two teams in the Premier League this season. Spurs lost Micky van de Ven and James Maddison through injury and despite being down to nine-men, they held a highline that ended up backfiring and saw Nicolas Jackson score a hattrick.
With so much riding on this clash, more so for Tottenham than Chelsea, this promises to be an excellent game for the neutral fan and let’s hope it pans out that way.
Also read: Assessing Tottenham’s Chance Creation Under Ange Postecoglou
DATE & TIME:
May 2, 2024, 7:30pm UK time
TEAM NEWS:
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Thiago Silva, who recently revealed in an emotional video that he will be leaving the Bridge at the end of the season is out with a groin injury which means he could have played his last game in a Chelsea jersey. Axel Disasi is likely to miss the match due to injury.
Raheem Sterling, Malo Gusto and Ben Chilwell are injury doubts for the game against Spurs and it remains to be seen if they recover in time for the clash. All this means the Blues’ injury list is now 14-strong with many long-term absentees this season.
Tottenham and Ange Postecoglou have a few issues of their own to handle. Destiny Udogie is expected to be out for the rest of the season. Dismally for the club though, Ben Davies and Timo Werner are also expected to miss the rest of the season which leaves Ange short of options at left-back.
Oliver Skipp has a light knock, but he is expected to be fit for the Chelsea clash. Other than this, there are no other major concerns with regards to players missing out, with even Richarlison recovering in time for the NLD.
PRE-GAME ANALYSIS
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The North Londoners have incurred a blitz in their fine season following two consecutive losses against Newcastle United and Arsenal, and they will look to find themselves at the Bridge this Thursday. Facing Chelsea comes with problems of its own. Mauricio Pochettino has created the league’s most vertical side, and their passes between the lines should tend to trouble Tottenham if they play a high line and give similar spaces in the second phase to what they did against Arsenal and Newcastle United.
Both teams like to play with their wingers up-top, although both use the flanks in different tactical ranges. Having a blend of Cole Palmer narrow & Madueke out-wide against a makeshift left-back should cause some problems for Tottenham, especially if Palmer wears his creative hat in the game.
For Tottenham, Ange will be hoping that the inclusion of Richarlison can cause some chaos in Chelsea’s defensive line.
WHO SAID WHAT:
Ange Postecoglou spoke about Chelsea and London Derby: “Chelsea, their recent form has been very good. They’ve got some real talent and Mauricio is an excellent manager, so I think irrespective of all of that, you’re playing away from home, at their ground, it’s a London derby, so you know it’s going to be a tough game.”
Mauricio Pochettino spoke about playing his former club Tottenham and the emotions around it: “I think it was special when we played there. Tomorrow is a different thing. It is always emotional but I cannot hide my emotions for the club and it is going to be emotional because when you face your former team and the history was good, for those you remember. But as I told you before, it is 90 minutes and we want to win.”
Also, reaD: Chelsea Midfielder Enzo Fernandez Has Been Sidelined For The Remainder Of The Season
PREDICTED LINEUPS:
Chelsea: (4-2-3-1): Petrovic; Gilchrist, Chalobah, Badiashile, Cucurella; Caicedo, Gallagher; Madueke, Palmer, Mudryk; Jackson
Tottenham Hotspur: (4-2-3-1): Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Emerson; Sarr, Bissouma; Kulusevski, Maddison, Son; Richarlison
PREDICTION:
Ange’s Spurs know to play only one way. Their Plan B is to make Plan A work. Chelsea on the other hand have been blowing hot and cold throughout this season and no one really has any clue which one will turn up on a given day. All things considered, we’d like to go for a 2-2 draw from this clash, although that might not benefit either team. Let’s wait and see how it goes.
