Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca will be hoping for less drama this time around against Tottenham than when the two sides met earlier this season.
The London rivals played out one of the games of the season for the second consecutive campaign back in December when they picked up a 4-3 win at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium.
The brilliance of Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernandez were the highlights for the Blues on that day, as they supplied three goals between each other to complete a stunning second half comeback.
The Blues found themselves quickly down two goals in the prior meeting, with blame being left at the door of Marc Cucurella for both strikes.
Photo by Shaun Brooks - CameraSport via Getty Images
Photo by Shaun Brooks – CameraSport via Getty Images
Dejan Kulusevski not fit for Chelsea vs Tottenham
The Spaniard slipped twice, with Jamie Carragher brandishing Cucurella’s performance as ’embarrasing’ when he ran to the side to change his boots.
One of the beneficiaries of those comical moments was Dejan Kulusevski, with the Swede finding the net early on and enjoying a strong first half in particular up against Chelsea’s most consistent defender.
Unfortunately for Spurs though, Ange Postecoglu has confirmed that Kulusevski would not be fit to feature for the visitors at Stamford Bridge.
He said to Football London: “Kevin [Danso] and Deki are working hard still, they’re probably a couple of weeks away, but both are progressing well.”
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The attacker has seven goals and four assists for Spurs this season, and will no doubt be a big miss as they look to ruin Chelsea’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League.
Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images
Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images
Chelsea team news ahead of Spurs clash
Maresca was able to deliver a very positive update on his players ahead of their first Premier League game since the international break.
The boss confirmed Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson are available, while Noni Madueke is also ready to return after his recent injury woes.
Maresca did report a setback for Romeo Lavia, who was in contention to start for the first time in over two months, as his unfortunate streak of fitness problems continued.