Chelsea take on Tottenham at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday evening in a Premier League fixture with much at stake for both sides. Blues are chasing European qualification while Spurs need a point to all but guarantee top-flight football again next season.
Interim boss Calum McFarlane will be in the dugout for the second-to-last time before Xabi Alonso officially takes charge on July 1, following the Spaniard’s confirmation on a four-year contract over the weekend. But McFarlane is focused on finishing the campaign on a high after Saturday’s 1-0 FA Cup final defeat to Manchester City. He was speaking on Monday with an update on midfielder Romeo Lavia:
“Romeo took a slight knock in the build-up… We have to be careful with players with an injury history.”
Tottenham, currently 17th in the table on 38 points and just two points above the relegation zone, also have plenty to play for on the trip across London. A win would guarantee their Premier League safety and send West Ham down. But history is not on Roberto De Zerbi’s side at Stamford Bridge.
The Spurs have lost 35 league away games at the venue, with the only win coming in 2018. The Blues also hold the last five successive meetings between the two clubs, including a 1-0 win earlier this campaign at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Chelsea Team News:
The hosts come into Tuesday’s clash in fairly good nick with keeper Robert Sanchez, Alejandro Garnacho and Pedro Neto all returning to action in the FA Cup final. Sanchez had earlier been out with a head injury, while Neto and Garnacho came on in the second half to show their fitness ahead of this clash.
But McFarlane still has to deal with several first-team players who are unavailable for selection. Brazilian winger Estevao will miss the remainder of the season with the hamstring injury he suffered in April and will also miss the World Cup. Jamie Gittens suffered a fresh hamstring problem early in April, and there is no clear return date for the winger, while teenage starlet Jesse Derry will not feature again following his head injury against Nottingham Forest.
Romeo Lavia is a major doubt after suffering a knock in training, with McFarlane reluctant to risk the injury-prone Belgian. Benoit Badiashile and Mamadou Sarr haven’t made recent matchday squads, but McFarlane has confirmed their absences have been through selection and not fitness issues, meaning both are available for the final two fixtures.