Tottenham Hotspur vs Chelsea prediction, preview, team news and more | Premier League 2019-20 |
Frank Lampard and Jose Mourinho have a storied history together in the Premier League. On Sunday, they will add a new chapter to this story as the two will clash for the first time as rival managers in England's top division.
Mourinho, Chelsea's most successful coach, took over the reins at Tottenham Hotspur last month, whereas Lampard is currently in charge of his old team. It will be interesting to see who comes out on top in this battle between the student and the teacher.
Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea Head-To-Head
The London derby between the two Champions League teams has been very evenly contested over the past few meetings - the Blues have won five of the last nine, whereas Spurs have taken the remaining four games. The last draw between these two teams came way back in 2016, and we can expect another exciting clash this weekend.
Mourinho has overseen four wins from five league games so far and his Spurs team has been playing better and better each week, barring his only loss against Manchester United at Old Trafford. The Portuguese has never lost a home game against a team he has previously managed, winning 12 of 13 such matches, and another victory on Sunday would see Tottenham win three successive Premier League games for the first time since February.
Chelsea, on the other hand, have hit a mini-rough patch after a great start to the season, losing their last two league games against Bournemouth and Everton. It is a slump which Lampard will want to get over with immediately, with the Blues now in danger of losing three consecutive Premier League games for the first time since November 2015 - a run of form which contributed to Mourinho being sacked by the club the following month.
Tottenham Hotspur form (all competitions): WWLWLW
Chelsea form (all competitions): DLWLWL
Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea Team News
Tottenham Hotspur - Midfielder Tanguy Ndombele has been recovering from a groin injury which kept him out of the last three games, and he will face a late fitness test to see if he can be available for this fixture. Erik Lamela, Hugo Lloris, and Ben Davies are still out injured, but otherwise, Mourinho has all his men at his disposal and should name an unchanged team again.
Injuries - Erik Lamela, Hugo Lloris, Ben Davies
Doubtful - Tanguy Ndombele
Chelsea - Defender Fikayo Tomori is back fit after missing the last two games, but he might not start due to Antonio Rudiger being back in the first team. Olivier Giroud is also back, but Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Marco Van Ginkel remain sidelined.
Injuries - Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Marco Van Ginkel
Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea Predicted XI
Tottenham possible starting lineup: Paulo Gazzaniga; Serge Aurier, Davinson Sanchez, Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen; Moussa Sissoko, Eric Dier; Lucas Moura, Dele Alli, Son Heung-min; Harry Kane
Chelsea possible starting lineup: Kepa Arrizabalaga; Cesar Azpilicueta, Antonio Rudiger, Kurt Zouma, Emerson Palmieri; N'Golo Kante, Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic; Willian, Tammy Abraham, Christian Pulisic
Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea Prediction
This should be a very exciting game with a good narrative behind it. London derbies are usually very entertaining, and given the defensive lapses by both teams in recent times, we can expect a high-scoring game. However, due to Spurs' good attacking form and their home advantage, we can see Mourinho's men just outperforming Lampard's young team.
Verdict - Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 Chelsea