After a 17-day break, Enzo Maresca’s team are about to enter a busy phase, starting with successive derby clashes tonight against Tottenham and on Sunday at Brentford.
Last time out, a depleted Blues side were edged 1-0 in another all-London affair at Arsenal. Spurs slipped to 14th with a 2-0 loss down the road at Fulham and they trail the fourth-placed Blues by 15 points with nine league games remaining.
Both of tonight’s teams still have their eye on European glory, with quarter-final legs over the next two Thursdays. In fact, the London pair’s progress forced UEFA to reverse the order of Chelsea’s Conference League fixtures against Legia Warsaw.
With European qualification on the domestic front seemingly unlikely for Spurs, the Europa League and the prize of Champions League entry will surely dominate Ange Postecoglu’s thoughts, but not before tonight’s capital grudge match has run its course.
Meanwhile, the Blues have the chance to secure a fourth victory in a row against Tottenham home and away, continuing our best run against them since 2002.
Team news
Having missed several players for the narrow 1-0 loss away at Arsenal in our last match due to injury, Maresca had stated that he hoped some of them would be available again when we returned from the international break.
In his pre-match press conference on Thursday, our head coach confirmed that is indeed the case for attacking trio Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke and Nicolas Jackson.
‘Cole is back, he is okay. He is better, Noni is better and Nico is better. They are all good,’ Maresca confirmed to the media at Cobham.
Asked whether Palmer, Jackson and Madueke were fit to start the game in a later interview, Maresca replied ‘yes’, before commenting on their prospects of playing the full 90 minutes.
‘Probably Nico and Noni, no, because they come back after two months, and Cole is just in case he has to play 90 minutes.’
The history
Chelsea have recorded 67 league victories against Tottenham (and Newcastle United), making them our favourite opponents.
The first instance of this London derby came in December 1909 at the Bridge, following Spurs’ promotion to the top flight. The Pensioners prevailed 2-1, Jimmy Windridge opening the scoring with a header before Joe Bradshaw netted with 15 minutes to go. Billy Minter replied at the death for the visitors.
The Blues were unbeaten against our London rivals home and away in a run of 32 league matches between 1990 and 2006, and still dominated the home fixture after a loss at the Lane.
Most famously, title-chasing Spurs received a Premier League record nine yellow cards (plus a violent conduct ban for Mousa Dembele) during the ‘Battle of the Bridge’ in 2016. Chelsea came from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 through Gary Cahill and a wonder goal from Eden Hazard, handing Leicester City the league crown.
In fact, the north Londoners’ only league win in 39 visits to the Bridge since February 1990 came in April 2018. Alvaro Morata struck first but Christian Eriksen and a Dele Alli brace completed an unexpected comeback.
Chelsea have won four of the six meetings in west London since then, and each of the past three. Late last season, Trevoh Chalobah and Nicolas Jackson sealed a 2-0 win for a very young Blues side, during which Josh Acheampong made his debut.
Know this...
Chelsea have won each of our past four league games at Stamford Bridge, the last two with a clean sheet.
The Blues are targeting a fifth league ‘double’ this evening, adding to the ones already achieved against West Ham United, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Leicester and Southampton.
Of the 23 Premier League goals Jackson has scored for the Blues, 11 have come in London derbies (four of them against Tottenham).
Most Premier League goals against a single opponent
Arsenal vs Everton - 124
Chelsea vs Tottenham Hotspur - 120
Liverpool vs Newcastle United - 120
Manchester United vs Everton - 120
Arsenal (31) and Liverpool (35) are the only clubs to have racked up more home points than Chelsea (28) this season.
Only relegation-haunted Leicester (10) and Southampton (12) have lost more times on the road than Tottenham (eight), which is Spurs' worst return since 2008/09.