Thursday night’s London derby sees Tottenham and Chelsea face off once again. But what if we took the best available players from both sides to create a combined XI? Here’s our take on who makes the cut.
This combined Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea XI does not take into consideration players who are unavailable for Thursday night’s game.
Combined XI: Tottenham and Chelsea
Goalkeeper – Guglielmo Vicario: This was probably the easiest pick. Vicario has been a revelation for Spurs, offering composure and consistency, which Chelsea’s Robert Sanchez and Filip Jorgensen simply haven’t matched.
Right-back – Djed Spence: Spence has had an impressive turnaround this season. He’s handled top wingers well, contributed going forward, and—despite spending much of the season on the left—deserves the right-back spot here.
Centre-back – Micky van de Ven: Chelsea may be ahead in the table, but Tottenham have the better individual defenders. Van de Ven’s pace and reading of the game make him an automatic selection. He’s been a rock for Tottenham when fit.
Centre-back – Cristian Romero: Romero is another easy pick. Given Chelsea’s current centre-back situation, he walks into their starting XI. He starts for World Cup winners Argentina—enough said.
Left-back – Marc Cucurella: Cucurella gets the nod on the left. He’s been Chelsea’s most reliable defender this season. His ability to overlap, underlap, and slot into midfield while remaining defensively solid makes him a standout.
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Defensive midfielder – Moises Caicedo: Tottenham’s midfield has been chaotic this season, with neither Yves Bissouma nor Rodrigo Bentancur delivering consistent performances. Caicedo, while not entirely spectacular, has provided more stability and gets the nod in this XI.
Centre-midfielder – James Maddison: Maddison brings creativity and attacking flair, which is exactly what this midfield needs. He hasn’t played every game for Tottenham, but his ability to unlock defences is invaluable.
Centre-midfielder – Cole Palmer: Yes, this midfield might be light defensively, but with Palmer and Maddison feeding the attack, any striker would thrive. Palmer was initially a doubt for this game, but after training with the squad six days before the fixture, he makes the cut.
Left-midfielder – Heung-min Son: A Premier League legend. Son remains one of Spurs’ biggest threats and has even recently moved up the all-time scoring charts after he bagged his 127th PL goal, surpassing Chelsea’s Hasselbaink in the process. Chelsea simply don’t have a wide player who can match his consistency and goal threat.
Striker – Dominic Solanke: If you’re playing Maddison and Palmer, you need a hard-working forward to press and hold up play. Solanke offers exactly that, with decent finishing to boot. The Tottenham man gets in ahead of Chelsea’s misfiring strikers.