Another huge derby day is upon us as Chelsea and Tottenham tonight face off at Stamford Bridge in what is historically been a bad-tempered - and action-packed - affair.
The Blues’ form has faltered of late, taking just six points from their last five Premier League matches before the international break, but they will be bolstered by the returning Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson, and Noni Madueke.
Jackson and Madueke’s output has been sorely missed as the Blues have struggled to find the back of the net in their absence. The club have scored more than two goals in a match on just one occasion since January, a 4-0 win against rock-bottom Southampton.
As such, manager Enzo Maresca has come under pressure from fans, who have quickly tired of his patient, possession-focused style and apparent lack of innovation as results slump. He has not been helped by awkwardly timed injuries, though many a fan has been left wondering what became of Chelsea’s high-flying pre-Christmas form.
That is not to say the grass is any greener at Tottenham, who are languishing in 14th place in the table. Ange Postecoglou’s side also ravaged by injuries with the manager at one stage without 11 first-team players.
Winless in three in the league having lost to Fulham and Manchester City either side of a home draw to Bournemouth, time is running out for Postecoglou to get his side on song. Pressure is mounting as club leadership are reported to be considering a change of head coach.
While Chelsea are realistically the more likely candidates for the win on Thursday, one must remember that the Blues do nothing the easy way. See, for instance, the away loss to Servette which nearly saw them miss out on Conference League qualification or last month’s laboured 1-0 win over Leicester. Perhaps low on morale after a string of shaky performances, Chelsea will be vulnerable.
Whether Spurs can take advantage of said weakness, though, is another question entirely. They historically do not perform well at Stamford Bridge, failing to win there since 2018, and are winless - and pointless - in their last three against Chelsea, who will hope to continue the trend.