TEAM NEWS
Forward Callum Hudson-Odoi and midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek could be handed starts.
Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri says he has not decided if he will pick goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga after he refused to be substituted in the League Cup final.
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino is again without Eric Dier due to tonsillitis. Fellow midfielder Dele Alli is not yet ready to return from his hamstring problem.
MOTD COMMENTATOR’S NOTES
@martfisher1: After the bitter disappointment of losing the Carabao Cup final on penalties amid such crazy scenes, this is probably the perfect game for Chelsea to bounce back – a welcome opportunity to put a huge dent in Tottenham’s title dreams.
Burnley did enormous damage on Saturday. Another such blow would surely be fatal for Mauricio Pochettino’s men, who desperately need to repeat their victory of last season, their first at Stamford Bridge since 1990.
That might spell the end for the under-fire Maurizio Sarri, who will have smoked many a cigarette agonising over whether he can afford to drop Kepa Arrizabalaga after his antics at Wembley.
VIEW FROM THE DUGOUT
Chelsea head coach Maurizio Sarri on whether he will pick Kepa Arrizabalaga: “I have to decide, maybe yes, maybe not.
“It will be a decision for the group. For all the players.
“I spoke with the goalkeeper, with Kepa, of course. Then we spoke altogether, because he said sorry to the technical staff, but it was not enough.
“Then he said sorry to his team-mates, to the club. I think he made a big mistake, but we need to be taller. We don’t want to kill him.”
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino: “We are going to play a very good team with an amazing squad and players, capable to play and of course I don’t think they are going to be tired or in a different way.
“It’s going to be a tough game and they are going to be good because it’s a derby and in front of their fans. For sure it’s such an important game for them too.”
LAWRO’S PREDICTION
I thought Chelsea played well in the Carabao Cup final, but what happened with Kepa Arrizabalaga obviously overshadowed any improvement in their performance.
Spurs are on a tough run. They have got the north London derby against Arsenal coming up at the weekend too.
Prediction: 1-1
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
- Tottenham ended their 30-match winless run away at Chelsea in the corresponding league encounter last season. However, they lost at Stamford Bridge in the League Cup semi-final second leg last month.
- Spurs have won three of the past four Premier League meetings, as many as they had in their previous 20 attempts.
- Tottenham are looking to win three consecutive league games against Chelsea for the first time since a run of five between March 1961 and September 1963.
- The last time Chelsea lost both league games in a season to Tottenham was in 1970-71.
Chelsea
- Chelsea have lost six of their last 14 top-flight fixtures, a run that began with a 3-1 defeat by Tottenham on 24 November.
- Their three most recent league games have produced a total of 15 goals. They beat Huddersfield 5-0, but lost 4-0 and 6-0 at Bournemouth and Manchester City respectively.
- The Blues are unbeaten in all four Premier League home matches this season against other established top-six teams (W2, D2).
- Maurizio Sarri’s side have only scored 18 goals in their past 15 league matches, compared to 27 goals in their first 11 fixtures this season.
- Gonzalo Higuain was directly involved in all four Juventus goals in their 4-3 aggregate victory against Spurs in last season’s Champions League clash, scoring three and setting up the other.
Tottenham Hotspur
- Tottenham have taken 15 points from six London derbies this season; only Arsenal, with 16 in eight games, have earned more.
- They have gone a Premier League record 31 consecutive fixtures without a draw since April. It’s the longest top-flight run since Portsmouth’s 38-game streak in 1928-29.
- Spurs could lose four consecutive away matches in all competitions for the first time since a run of seven in a row under Harry Redknapp from December 2008 to February 2009.
- Mauricio Pochettino has won four Premier League games against Chelsea as Tottenham manager – more than every other Spurs boss combined.
- However, Pochettino has lost eight times to Chelsea, more than any other opponent in his managerial career.
