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Spurs v Chelsea Preview - Unenviable task ahead

. Last season's game - Spurs 1 Chelsea 4, 06.11.23

. Premier League Matchday 15 - last year

. See the current injury list for all Premier League Teams

. All the Spurs Stats you could hope for here! THFC6061 Sports Stats

Full League Record of Tottenham Hotspur -v- Chelsea

Premier Pl W D L For-Ag Pts

Home 32 7 10 15 37- 55 31

Away 32 1 11 20 23- 61 14

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Total (Prem) 64 8 21 35 60-116 45 0.70 Pts per game

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Football Lge

Home (Div 1) 42 20 9 13 79- 57 51

Away (Div 1) 42 19 6 17 63- 50 46

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Total(Div 1) 84 39 15 30 142-107 97

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Football Lge

Home (Div 2) 2 1 1 0 7- 4 3

Away (Div 2) 2 0 1 1 1- 4 1

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Total(Div 2) 4 1 2 1 8- 8 4

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Total (Prem) 64 8 21 35 60-116 45

Total(Div 1) 84 39 15 30 142-107 97

Total(Div 2) 4 1 2 1 8- 8 4

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Grand Total 152 48 38 66 210-231 146

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Last Six Premier League results:-

Spurs - LWLWDL

C. Palace 1-0 Spurs

Spurs 4-1 A. Villa

Spurs 1-2 Ipswich

Man City 0-4 Spurs

Spurs 1-1 Fulham

B'mouth 1-0 Spurs

Chelsea - WDDWWW

Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle

Man Utd 1-1 Chelsea

Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal

Leicester 1-2 Chelsea

Chelsea 3-0 A. Villa

S'hampton 1-5 Chelsea

Pos P W D L F-A GD Pts

2. Chelsea 14 8 4 2 31-15 16 28

10. Spurs 14 6 2 6 28-15 13 20

Unenviable task ahead

Welcome to N17

It's the fixture we all dread and it couldn't come at a worse time. Spurs are massively weakened by injuries and the ongoing suspension of Rodrigo Bentancur. The team is the epitome of inconsistency and now has to face a resurgent Chelsea side in tip-top form who have risen to second place in the table, even above Arsenal on goal difference. No Spurs fan in their right mind fancies our chances tomorrow (4.30pm - SKY).

In all competitions, Chelsea have scored 57 goals in 22 games this season, which is already seven more than they scored in 2022-23 (50 in 50 games). Their current goals-per-game ratio of 2.6 is their best in a single season in their entire history.

Meanwhile, Chelsea have scored five or more goals in two away Premier League games this season (6-2 vs Wolves, 5-1 vs Southampton), the first time they have done so twice in a season since 2014/15. Their XG total in the win at Saints was the highest on record (2008-09 onwards) by a team in an away Premier League game (5.29).

Chelsea are walking through the Europa Conference League and hot favourites to win the competition. Their 8-0 defeat of Armenian minnows Noah on 7th November was the biggest in the (short) history of the Europa Conference League (so far).

We've managed one win over Chelsea in our last ten meetings. That was a 2-0 home win in February 2023 when Ollie Skipp scored his only senior goal for Spurs (it was a cracker!) and Harry Kane scored his 268th club goal. Kane added 12 more Spurs goals before leaving for Germany.

Ben Davies made his 300th club appearance for Spurs in that Chelsea game and on Thursday night made his 300th Premier League appearance (71 for Swansea). We won't be seeing Ben tomorrow and filling the vacant centre-back slot remains a problem unless Romero is declared fit at the last minute. Archie Gray has played in that position in pre-season friendlies, so will probably get the job. Chelsea's attack is strong on pace, rather than physicality.

Chelsea's transfer comings and goings are too numerous to account for here. The new owners foisted numerous players on previous coaches Graham Potter and Mauricio Pochettino, both of whom struggled to get the best out of the choices available to them. Pochettino's replacement Enzo Maresca does seem to have found the knack of "getting a tune" out of his players.

Maresca has shown a ruthless streak in denying Raheem Sterling a squad place. Sterling was shipped out on loan to Arsenal. Ben Chilwell is another experienced player being cast aside by the new coach.

Cole Palmer is top scoring again. Nicolas Jackson is only one behind him with 8 Premier League goals. Former Spurs academy player Noni Madueke has started 12 league games, and has five EPL goals to his name. In terms of appearances, goalkeeper Sanchez, defenders Gusto, Colwill, Fofana (now injured) and Cucurella, midfielders Caicedo, Fernandez, Pedro Neto and Madueke, along with Palmer and Jackson are top picks for the former Leicester coach. Maresca also spent some time on Pep Guardiola's team before his move to Leicester. Reece James has been beset with injury problems of late.

Chelsea have five players on loan with Premier League clubs. They are Raheem Sterling (Arsenal), Kepa Arrizabalaga (Bournemouth), Trevor Chalobah (Crystal Palace), Lesley Ugochukwu (Southampton) and Armando Broja (Everton).

Chelsea players received 105 bookings last season, the most ever for a team across a Premier League campaign.

Enzo Fernandez issued an immediate apology to his Chelsea team-mates upon his arrival on the club's pre-season tour, and volunteered to make a significant donation to an anti-discrimination charity following his involvement in the Argentina race storm. A social media video had shown Argentina's players singing a racist and homophobic chant about the France side.

Cole Palmer has won the PFA Young Player of the Year award. Palmer became the first player in the Premier League era to score four goals in one half in September when Chelsea beat Brighton 4-2.

Chelsea's Noni Madueke, who graduated through both the Crystal Palace and Spurs academies before playing professional football in The Netherlands, made his England debut on 10th September against Finland. Madueke came off the bench and assisted Harry Kane's 68th England goal. Kane scored twice on the night he picked up his 100th England cap. 84 of Harry Kane's caps were achieved as a Spurs player, and 58 of his England goals were scored in those games.

Last season's 4-1 home defeat was Chelsea's biggest league win at Tottenham Hotspur since a 6-1 victory in the Premier League on 6 December 1997 when Tore Andre Flo scored a hat-trick.

In last season's game, Spurs had two players sent off in a home Premier League game for the first time ever and for just the fourth time in the competition at any venue (August 2001 v Everton, October 2008 v Stoke and May 2019 v Bournemouth).

Chelsea achieved a tenth Premier League double over Spurs last season, and have lost only one of their past 11 Premier League fixtures versus Spurs (W8, D2).

My depressing prediction is for a 3-1 home defeat.

John Dempsey, who passed away aged 78 on November 6th, was a Chelsea centre-half between 1969 and 1977. He was signed by Dave Sexton, who had succeeded Tommy Docherty as Chelsea manager, and paid £70,000 to beat Tottenham to Dempsey's services in early 1969. Peter Osgood called the Chelsea back line of Ron Harris, David Webb, Eddie McCreadie and Dempsey "the four assassins". They played in the notorious FA Cup Final of 1970 against Leeds. Dempsey also played and scored in the replayed Cup-Winners Cup Final of the following year when Chelsea beat Real Madrid.

It's a big match and we have a top referee in Anthony Taylor. In charge of us for the 47th time, only Michael Oliver of the current crop of officials has refereed more Spurs games. Mr Taylor's last game at Tottenham was our 4-0 win over Everton. Here's hoping!

. Spurs record in recent London Derby League matches

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