Team news, stats and prediction ahead of Tottenham vs Chelsea in the Premier League on Super Sunday; kick-off 4.30pm.
Team news
Tottenham hope to welcome back Giovani Lo Celso, Cristian Romero and Davinson Sanchez for the visit of Chelsea.
All three have been in Croatia for the last 10 days in order to circumvent hard quarantine rules following their decision to travel to South America for World Cup qualifiers earlier this month.
Son Heung-min (calf) and Eric Dier (dead leg) are doubts, along with with Steven Bergwijn and Lucas Moura, who both hobbled off in Thursday's Europa Conference League draw at Rennes. Japhet Tanganga (suspended) and Ryan Sessegnon (hamstring) are out.
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N'Golo Kante will return for Chelsea after shaking off his latest injury issue. The France midfielder is fit after ankle trouble, in a significant boost to the Blues. Christian Pulisic remains sidelined with an ankle complaint of his own, however.
World's first major net zero carbon football game
Sky has partnered with Tottenham Hotspur to host the world's first net zero carbon football game at an elite level when Spurs face Chelsea on September 19.
The initiative is supported by COP26 and the Premier League, and will be branded #GameZero, with the ambition of being net zero carbon. This is achieved when emissions are reduced as much as possible, with the remainder offset through natural projects that remove emissions from the atmosphere.
Sky, Tottenham Hotspur and the UK Government want the game to raise awareness of the threat of climate change and inspire football fans to make simple changes that will help reduce their carbon footprint.
- Sky Sports x Sky Zero: Sustainability in sport
- Learn more about Sky Zero | Follow Sky Zero on Twitter
How to follow
Tottenham vs Chelsea is live on Sky Sports Premier League from 4pm; kick-off 4.30pm. Sky Sports customers can watch in-game clips in the live match blog on the Sky Sports website and app. Highlights will also be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel shortly after the final whistle
- Download the Sky Sports Scores App: Apple | Android
- The UK's No 1 scores app: Find out more
Last time out...
Jones Knows prediction
Why would you fix it if it is not broken? That is my theory regarding Chelsea and the chances of them winning without conceding at 15/8 with Sky Bet. The same price as we got last week when they did the business to nil over Aston Villa.
Thomas Tuchel is a bit of a master at mastering the away day. Since he took over, Chelsea have lost just one of their 15 away games in all competitions - the only defeat being a 2-1 reverse at Aston Villa on the final day of last season, where they could be excused for having an eye on the Champions League final. Chelsea have also won four of the last five Premier League meetings with Spurs, keeping a clean sheet in four of those clashes.
Tottenham's display at Palace did not come as too much of a shock to me. Nuno's style is always going to make them a tough watch early on in games against so-called inferior opposition. His plan to turn the game into a 20-minute one was working until the sending-off. They will win plenty of games by one goal this season on the road. Not this one though. It is all about Chelsea to grind this one out, showcasing their excellent defensive prowess.
SCORE PREDICTION: 0-1
BETTING ANGLE: Chelsea to win to nil (15/8 with Sky Bet)
Dawson: How to stop Lukaku
Former Spurs defender Michael Dawson on the Essential Football Podcast:
"Lukaku is the finished article now and he's unplayable in this Chelsea team that he's in.
"The ball comes up to him, it goes wide, into the box; he can score headers... against Aston Villa, he's on his left foot, the defender gets chopped and he puts it in on his right foot. What a signing he is.
"Chelsea have got runners, too - Ziyech, Havertz, Mount, Werner. He's playing with outstanding players and when it goes up to him, it sticks so the midfielder know they can run past him. He'll go into wide areas too, and the wingers will come in off the line.
"Spurs will defend deep but it's the physicality as well. You've got to be arm's length away - if you get touch-tight, he'll use his arms to get past you. You saw that against Arsenal. Get too tight and he'll roll you.
"You can't let him turn and get inside the box or you're in big trouble. When the ball comes in the air, you've just got to try and compete. Sometimes you can't always win the ball; you can't be over-eager to nick it in front of him because with his strength, he'll turn and you'll be out of the game. I had to learn that with my physique. "If you can get him to play back, you've done your job but the midfielders have to go with their runners too.
"So: arm's length, send him back and don't let him turn inside the box. It's going to be a big, big test. Those Tottenham defenders have got to be at their very best."
Opta stats
- Tottenham have conceded more Premier League goals against Chelsea (103) than they have versus any other opponent, while they've only lost more games in the competition against Man Utd (36) than against the Blues (31).
- Chelsea have won their last two Premier League away games against Tottenham, as many as in their previous 13 visits (D5 L6). They last won three in a row at Spurs between April 2004 and August 2005.
- Tottenham have lost four of their last six Premier League London derby matches (W2), as many as they had in their previous 18 such games combined. Spurs have lost their last two such games, last losing three in a row in August 2005 - the third game of which came at home to Chelsea.
- Chelsea have won each of their last five away league London derbies - they've never won six in a row on the road before in their league history.
- Only twice before have Tottenham started a Premier League campaign with three home wins out of three, doing so in 2000-01 and 2002-03. Spurs have won eight of their last 10 league games at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (L2), keeping six clean sheets in the process.
- Chelsea have kept a clean sheet in 61% of their Premier League games under Thomas Tuchel (14/23) - it's the best clean sheet ratio any manager has at a specific club in the competition's history (min. 10 games).