Tottenham Hotspurs looks to solidify their spot in the top four by claiming three more points at home while facing rivals Chelsea in another London derby.
Spurs comfortably beat West Ham 2-0 at home to regain the Champions League position while the Blues suffered a shock 1-0 loss to bottom-side Southampton at Stamford Bridge.
TOT vs CHL Match Details
Date: Sunday, 26 February 2023
Time: 19:00 (IST)
Venue: Tottenham Hotspurs Stadium, Tottenham
TOT vs CHL Match Preview
With Newcastle United losing to Liverpool a day ago, Spurs had the chance to climb back to the top four of the table facing West Ham at home and they grabbed it with both hands. Emerson Royal found himself in the striker position after an excellent set-up to break the Hammer’s resistance in the 56th minute before substitute Heung-Min Son settled the points for the home side. This was a welcoming victory for Spurs following a torrid week where they got thrashed 4-1 by Leicester City in the Premier League and then went on to lose 1-0 against AC Milan in the first leg of the Champions League last 16 at San Siro. Manager Antonio Conte’s absence in the touchline might have been a problem for the team but assistant coach Christian Stellini has guided the players well, especially at the Tottenham Hotspurs Stadium. Spurs now look at the possibility of earning their third straight victory at home in the Premier League. They started the winning streak only this month against Manchester City having lost four consecutive games at the ground prior to it. The north London side will also feel this is the right time with the momentum in hand to end their losing run against Chelsea who are struggling this season but have won all of their Premier League meetings here. A point gap with Newcastle United in fifth will get extended to four if Spurs manage to win against their city rivals from the west at the weekend with a more favorable schedule coming up next month to stay in contention for the top four.
Manager Graham Potter said in the press conference ahead of facing Tottenham Hotspurs that he and his family received death threats after the 1-0 defeat to Southampton last weekend. While abuse is not justified by any kind, the frustration of fans increased as the Blues losing to a side at the bottom of the pile and without a manager at home was simply inexcusable even if they are crumbling this season. Chelsea managed to create few decent goal-scoring opportunities unlike most of their games this season but valiant defending from the Saints managed to keep them off. Their perch on the game only came after Southampton decided to suck up the pressure following yet another James Ward-Prowse free-kick to give the away side the lead before half-time which turned out to be the winner at last. With two wins in only 11 games, only three goals scored in the last nine and sitting 10th in the Premier League table seems to point out that Potter is not fit for the job for a club like Chelsea with big bucks spent in the transfer windows. Owner Todd Boehly is still being patient with him although that will be tested in the coming weeks if results continue to decline further with a defeat in the London derby this weekend widening the gap with their rivals in the fourth spot to 13 points. Already carrying a first-leg deficit against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League last 16, it looks like the club will miss out on the competition as things stand. A turnover of form is urgently required but failing to win any of their last nine away games in all competitions is not helping them at all for optimism in this weekend's clash.
Recent Form (all competitions)
TOT: WLLWW
CHL: LLDDDW
Recent Form (Premier League)
TOT: WLWWL
CHL: LDDDWL
TOT vs CHL Team News
Tottenham learned the extent of Rodrigo Bentancur’s absence after the Uruguayan midfielder went through knee surgery. The 25-year-old ruptured the ligament in the second half of a Premier League defeat at Leicester City earlier this month and is set to be sidelined until at least November of this year. Yves Bissouma (ankle), Hugo Lloris (knee) and Ryan Sessegnon (hamstring) all remain out. Heung-Min Son could regain his place in the starting eleven after scoring from the bench against West Ham last weekend, replacing Richarlison who returned from injury to feature.
Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta was taken to the hospital on a stretcher off the pitch after taking a blow to his head from Sekou Mara’s boot as the Southampton forward attempted an overhead kick. The 33-year-old has since shared a positive update on his condition and now manager Graham Potter provided the news of him getting released from the hospital to return to training. However, he won’t be available for selection against Spurs. N'Golo Kante and Christian Pulisic are back in training, closing on the return from their respective injuries.
TOT vs CHL Predicted Lineups
TOT: Fraser Forster; Christian Romero, Eric Dier, Clement Lenglet; Emerson Royal, Oliver Skipp, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Ben Davies; Dejan Kulusevski, Harry Kane, Heung-Min Son
CHL: Kepa Arrizabalaga; Reece James, Thiago Silva, Benoit Badiashile, Ben Chilwell; Mateo Kovacic, Enzo Fernandez; Raheem Sterling, Joao Felix, Mykhaylo Mudryk; Kai Havertz
TOT vs CHL Dream11 Team Prediction
GK: Forster (7.5)
DEF: James (8), Badiashile (8.5), T Silva (8), Romero (7)
MID: Kulusevski (8), Hojbjerg (9), Enzo (8.5)
FW: Felix (8.5), Kane (9), Son (8.5)
Vice-captain: Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg
Captain: Harry Kane
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