The international break is over, thankfully, and focus can now switch back to the Premier League and the biggest game of the upcoming weekend; Tottenham vs Chelsea.
This game was originally scheduled to take place at Spurs’ new stadium but a delay to its opening means that it will now take place at Wembley Stadium.
Both sides have enjoyed good starts to the season and sit in the third and fourth places in the Premier League table.
The Blues won the corresponding fixture last season, thanks to a brace from Marcos Alonso and they’ll fancy their chances of winning on Saturday evening too as they go into the game still unbeaten in the league.
Tottenham could be without their Argentina’s duo of Erik Lamela and Juan Foyth. Both players were in Mendoza last night for Argentina’s 2-0 friendly win over Mexico, which kicked-off at midnight UK time. Lamela played an hour and Foyth was an unused substitute but both will only make it back to training on Friday, so they’re unlikely to be fully ready for Saturday evening’s fixture.
Chelsea’s Mateo Kovacic missed Croatia’s Nations League defeat to England at the weekend due to a muscular problem but the issue is not thought to be serious and the midfielder should be available for selection.
By the time this game kicks off, both sides will know how the results of Liverpool’s clash with Watford and Man City’s match against West Ham, so they’ll know if there’s a chance to close the gap if either side slips up.
Conversely, they could be under some pressure to try to keep up with the league’s two top sides of both earn the victories that many expect them to get.
Mauricio Pochettino knows all about this London rivalry, but it’ll be a first-time experience for Maurizio Sarri, but despite his lack of familiarity with the league or Chelsea’s opponents, the Italian has already proven that he’s a match for any manager in the country when it comes to preparing his players.
There is not much to chose between the two sides, and that is displayed in the Premier League odds, which show that Chelsea, even away from home, are only very slight favourites, but neither side is odds-on to win as this game looks so evenly matched on paper. With so many star players on the field, and with two of Europe’s most respected coaches in the dugout, it is easy to see why so many football fans are excited to watch this game and hopefully, it will live up to the hype.
