Chelsea – Tottenham

The London derby will be an entertaining, high-scoring affair.

One of London’s most fiercely contested derbies will take place in the capital. Relations between Chelsea and Tottenham have become increasingly strained over the past two decades. The reasons include clashes between the players, as well as tense on-field incidents that escalated into confrontations between the supporters. During the off-season, Xabi Alonso took over as Chelsea manager after shining as Bayer’s coach and struggling in charge of Real Madrid last season. The Spaniard became the third manager to be entrusted with Chelsea this year. Enzo Maresca was dismissed in the early days of the year, followed by Liam Rosenior’s disastrous spell. Spending during the latest transfer window came close to one billion euros. Significant squad rotation did not prevent Alonso from quickly building the team’s core around Morgan Rogers, Cole Palmer, João Pedro and several other key players. The season started well for the Blues, though far from perfectly. In mid-September, a heavy 0–3 defeat by Brentford and a 2–2 draw with Hull City stood out sharply from the overall picture. However, in October, Alonso’s side found their way into positive form, confidently beating Bournemouth (5–1) and Everton (2–0). It can be said that the Blues approach their clash with Tottenham in a good mood and excellent competitive condition. Roberto De Zerbi’s team have beaten only Charlton and Coventry City in nine official matches this season. Spurs thrashed the Championship side in the League Cup and defeated Frank Lampard’s team in the previous Premier League round. Tottenham have already been eliminated from the League Cup after their tie with Liverpool. In the Premier League, Spurs have lost three of their seven matches, while they drew the other three against Everton, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United. A positive factor in Tottenham’s current form is their run of four consecutive matches in which they have scored. It is worth recalling that De Zerbi’s team failed to score in each of the opening four Premier League rounds. Meetings between the London sides are always unpredictable, with results over the past two years ranging from 4–3 to 0–1. Both teams’ attacking lines are currently in good shape, which makes it reasonable to expect both sides to score in Saturday’s match.