The match between Chelsea and Tottenham in the Premier League will be the third London Derby that happens this month. The other two was the two-legged Carabao Cup semifinal, where we witnessed the complete domination from the Blues. Chelsea won the first leg for two goals and the second leg for one goal. The aggregate win was 3-0.
This will be the 173rd derby between the London clubs. Spurs have won only once in their past 31 league trips to the Bridge and have also lost nine of their past 13 matches against a top-four side. However, Antonio Conte’s team earned a dramatic late win at Leicester on Wednesday and are now eight points behind the third-placed Blues with four games in hand.
After the Carabao Cup semifinals, the momentum around both the clubs has changed. Tottenham will be on a high after that dramatic win over Leicester City. Antonio Conte has remained unbeaten in the league since he arrived in north London, and he will fight to keep that streak on.
The situation of Chelsea is a bit worrying when we consider the title race. Suppose Manchester City continues to perform on peak form for the next ten games. In that case, Thomas Tuchel will have to drop his hopes of winning the Premier League title because the recent performance of the Blues in the league has been disappointing. They have consistently dropped points, and City has taken that has an advantage. It helped the Manchester club reduce the pressure on themselves, and they have a huge gap between them and Chelsea.
Chelsea, who only managed to win eight points in the last seven league games, are now practically fighting to keep their place in the top four. Tottenham still sits fifth in the table, eight points behind third-placed Chelsea. But they also have four games in hand, which, as Tuchel also pointed out, makes them direct rivals with Chelsea in the top four race.
The interesting fact is that if Tottenham wins their games in hand, they go above Chelsea in the Premier League table.
Thomas Tuchel spoke about this situation where Spurs can be in the top four. “It’s strange to see teams that compete for the same [spots] in the table [have played] four games [fewer],” Tuchel added.
“This can lead you to the wrong impression that you’re comfortably ahead, which you are not.
“So, we have to make sure that this [the gap] stays like this and [it is] the best chance to win a direct competition against direct rivals.”
But it will be a massive task for Antonio Conte as Spurs have not found the net against Chelsea for 457 minutes in all competitions. Harry Kane’s form will be crucial, and he has been finding the net in the recent games. So, it will be a relief for the Italian manager.
