Chelsea vs Tottenham: Poch hosts his old side in crucial Premier League London derby – team news, kick-off time
CHELSEA host Tottenham next in the Premier League as both sides look to qualify for Europe next season.
Ange Postecoglou will be looking to close the gap on Aston Villa in fourth place, whilst Chelsea hope to qualify for the Europa Conference League next season.
AlamyTottenham were beaten 3-2 by North London rivals Arsenal at the weekend[/caption]
Both sides come off the back of disappointing results last weekend.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men came from 2-0 down to equalise in the 81st minute. Alex Disasi then thought he’d won it in stoppage time but his goal was disallowed by VAR.
Spurs managed to score two after the hour mark against Arsenal but it was not enough to make up for the damage done in the first half as they lost 3-2.
The reverse fixture between Chelsea and Spurs saw Ange’s side go down to nine men as the Blues won 4-1, with Nicolos Jackson scoring a hat-trick.
Chelsea have lost just once in 33 home league games against Tottenham, going down 3-1 in April 2018 when Spurs were managed by Mauricio Pochettino.
What is their form like?
Both teams have been poor in recent weeks.
Chelsea have only won two of their last seven games, including a 5-0 loss against Arsenal but are unbeaten at home in their previous six outings.
Manager Mauricio Pochettino continues to face pressure from fans, with the club 19 points away from the top four.
Meanwhile Spurs have only won two of their last five games, with both wins being against sides fighting for survival in Luton and Nottingham Forrest.
They have struggled to keep the ball out of the back of their own net, failing to keep a clean sheet in six games.
What is the team news?
On Monday, Thiago Silva announced he will not be at Chelsea next season and with his injury he is likely to have played his final game for the London club.
Enzo Fernandez (groin) and Romeo Lavia (unknown) are both confirmed to be out for the rest of the season.
Raheem Sterling (back), Malo Gusto (knee), Ben Chilwell (muscle), Levi Colwill (toe), Lesley Ugochukwu (hamstring), Reece james (hamstring), Wesley Fofana (cruciate ligament rupture) Christopher Nkunku, Carney Chukwuemeka, and Raheem Sterling (all unknown) are also unlikely to feature.
Former Chelsea striker Timo Werner may not be able to return to Stamford Bridge after picking up an injury against Arsenal.
Oliver Skipp is unlikely to feature due to a slight knock, along with Alfie Whiteman.
For Spurs, Destiny Udogie (muscle), Fraser Forster (foot), Manor Solomon (meniscus) are all out for the rest of the season.
Instagram @enzojfernandezEnzo Fernandez will miss the rest of the season after having groin surgery[/caption]
Who will be the star players?
Cole Palmer has been Chelsea’s standout player this season, with his £46m transfer fee being worth every penny.
The Manchester City academy graduate has scored 23 goals and assisted 13 times in 40 games this season and is currently just a goal behind Erling Haaland in the race for the golden boot.
However, he has failed to contribute to a goal in his previous two games and he’ll be looking to end that streak in the London derby.
Spurs have been less reliant on individual contributions compared to years gone by.
With the loss of Harry Kane, the goals have been shared amongst Spurs players with Richarlison and Heung-Min Son hitting double figures in the league this season.
Heung-Min Son has also assisted nine times but is closely followed by James Maddison, Pedro Porro, and Brennan Johnson all on seven.
EPACole Palmer has been Chelsea’s standout player this season[/caption]
What has been said?
VAR has once again been discussed at length during press conferences.
This time it was Maurcio Pochettino who believes that VAR has “damaged English football”.
He said: “The referee is unbelievable and it’s ridiculous.”
“It is difficult to accept, these type of things in the semi-final [against Manchester City] two weeks ago it was handball and it was no penalty, the referee he didn’t check it.”
We will hear more from both managers following their pre-match press conferences later in the week.
AFPMauricio Pochettino was not happy with the VAR decision given against Chelsea last week[/caption]
When is Chelsea vs Tottenham?
Chelsea’s clash with Tottenham will take place on Thursday, May 2.
The game kicks off at 7.30pm BST.
The game will be held at Stamford Bridge in London.
Chelsea beat Spurs 4-1 last time out in one of the most frantic games of the season.
What channel is it and can it be live streamed?
Chelsea vs Tottenham will be shown live on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Football.
You can live stream the action on the NOW TV or Sky Go app, both of which can be downloaded onto your mobile or tablet device.
Alternatively, SunSport will have minute-by-minute coverage of the entire match.
Odds
Chelsea – 23/20
Draw – 29/10
Tottenham – 19/10
Both teams to score YES – 2/7
*Odds courtesy of Ladbrokes and correct at time of publication.
