Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has come up with a strong line-up to face Tottenham Hotspur in a must-win Premier League tie at Stamford Bridge. The Blues are in pursuit of Champions League places and will be hoping to capitalize on a Tottenham side that has failed to win in the league since late February.
Maresca’s men come into this London derby under pressure, seeking to recover from a 1-0 defeat to Arsenal. They have also dropped to sixth following midweek victories for Manchester City, Newcastle, and Nottingham Forest. A win tonight would take them back into fourth while renewing their top-four hopes as the season enters the final stretch.
The Blues have been reinforced by the returns of Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke, and Nicolas Jackson. All three are fit and available, and Palmer and Jackson are both back in the starting lineup. Pedro Neto has returned to his favoured wide position with Jadon Sancho starting on the other flank. In defence, Malo Gusto and Trevoh Chalobah have come in for Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile.
Before the game, Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca admitted how much of a big deal the derby was:
It’s a huge game, it’s big… We know how important it is for the fans and the club, but it’s also important for us… It would be a huge achievement in this moment for us…
If you are able to finish top four, top five, first of all it is fantastic for the fans, and for the club, because we can bring this club where it has always been.
Tottenham, for their part, have made five changes since their 2-0 loss to Fulham. Ange Postecoglou has returned Micky van de Ven, Lucas Bergvall, James Maddison, Wilson Odobert, and Heung-Min Son to his side.
It is the Spurs boss’ third meeting in the Premier League against Chelsea, and he has yet to win. Another defeat would see him make unwanted history as the first Tottenham manager to lose his first four league matches against the Blues.
Here’s how the two teams line up at kick-off:
Chelsea F.C. vs Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Lineups: April 3, 2025 – Premier League
Chelsea XI: Sanchez | Gusto, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella | Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez | Neto, Palmer, Sancho | Jackson
Subs: Jorgensen, Acheampong, Badiashile, Tosin, James, Dewsbury-Hall, George, Madueke, Nkunku
Tottenham XI: Vicario | Spence, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie | Bergvall, Bentancur, Maddison | Odobert, Solanke, Son
Subs: Kinsky, Pedro Porro, Davies, Gray, Bissouma, Sarr, Moore, Johnson, Tel