“They will probably be a contender for the title” – Tottenham star makes bold claim about Chelsea as Spurs prepare for Stamford Bridge trip
Tottenham Hotspur captain Hugo Lloris believes London rivals Chelsea will be Premier League title contenders this season. He stated that their upcoming match against the Blues on Sunday (August 14) will be a good test to judge their own progress.
Thomas Tuchel's side beat Spurs four times last season, twice in the Premier League and twice in the Carabao Cup semi-final. The Lilywhites failed to score a single goal in either of the four matches and will now look to make amends at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Spurs beat Southampton 4-1 in their opening fixture on August 6. Shortly after, Chelsea too beat Everton 1-0 at Goodison Park in their opening match of the new Premier League season.
All the action as it happened at Goodison! 🎥 https://t.co/SjnGZBCWvo
Speaking to the Evening Standard after the match, Lloris shed some light on the derby next weekend. The Frenchman said:
"Obviously when you face that kind of opponent it’s a good moment to judge yourself. After two games, whatever the result [next weekend] there will be plenty of games ahead of us but it’s more that we can confirm the good result and performance [against Southampton] and show improvement compared to last season."
The France captain added:
“Chelsea is a very strong team, very competitive, they will probably be a contender for the title and it’s good for us to go there and challenge them.”
Tuchel's side were at the top of the 2021-22 Premier League table until November last year, but fell off to finish 19 points behind champions Manchester City. They will hope to put up a bigger challenge for the title this season.
Tottenham looking for a suprising victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge
Tottenham haven't beaten the Blues at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League since 2018, when they won 3-1. The victory in itself was historic as it was Spurs' first win at the stadium in 28 years.
They will look to change that result on Sunday as they gear up for a potentially big season under former Chelsea manager Antonio Conte.
Straight back to work 💪 https://t.co/K9gnQRfyxU
Conte joined Tottenham in November 2021, when they were ninth in the league and helped them finish in fourth spot last season.
The north London side have made six signings so far this summer and will hope to mount a bigger challenge for the Blues this time around. They've signed Ivan Perisic, Fraser Forster, Yves Bissouma, Richarlison, Clement Lenglet and Djed Spence.
Tuchel too has reinforced his side with five new players this summer. They include Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly, Gabriel Slonina, Carney Chukwuemeka and Marc Cucurella.