Tottenham Hotspur vs Chelsea Preview – Prediction, how to watch & potential line-ups

Sunday’s mouth-watering contest between familiar foes Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea headlines another exciting Premier League weekend. 

Spurs have frequently collapsed against fierce west London rivals in the Premier League era, registering just seven wins in 61 league meetings with the Blues (D21, L33).

Now could be the perfect timing to turn the tables as they aim to solidify their position ahead of Newcastle United in an evenly-contested top-four race.

Following consecutive defeats to Leicester City and AC Milan in the Premier League and Champions League, respectively, Antonio Conte’s side returned to winning ways last weekend. 

Emerson Royal and second-half substitute Son Heung-min scored beyond half-time to inspire Tottenham to a crucial 2-0 home victory over fellow London adversaries West Ham United. 

That win, aided by Newcastle’s 2-0 home loss to Liverpool, catapulted Spurs into the Premier League top four in the build-up to this fixture. 

In stark contrast to their cross-town rivals, visiting Chelsea cannot catch a break in 2023, with last weekend’s underwhelming 1-0 home defeat to rock-bottom Southampton summing their woeful calendar year in a nutshell.

Since beating Crystal Palace 1-0 in mid-January, Graham Potter’s underachievers have gone winless in four consecutive league outings (D3, L1), falling 11 points behind fourth-placed Spurs.

Despite splashing out north of ₤300 million during the January transfer window, the Blues will most likely miss out on next season’s Champions League football unless they win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Match Preview

Tottenham Hotspur

Winless in their last eight Premier League meetings with Chelsea (D2, L6), Tottenham won’t have to look beyond a poor three-game losing league streak at home for motivation.

Spurs held the Blues to an action-packed 2-2 draw in the reverse fixture in August and could go unbeaten in both seasonal Premier League duels against them for the first time since 2015/16. 

Conte has plenty of reason for optimism, with his side winning their last two home outings against Manchester City and West Ham without conceding.

Chelsea

After a 2-0 win at Aston Villa in mid-October, Chelsea haven’t won any of their last seven Premier League games on the road (D4, L3), scoring one goal or fewer on each occasion.

Ending that dismal run on Sunday would see the Pensioners become only the third team after Arsenal and Manchester United to beat Tottenham in four consecutive away encounters in the Premier League.

However, Chelsea’s form woes on hostile turf stretch beyond league duties, with Potter’s side going winless on ten of their last 11 travels in all competitions (D4, L6).

Tottenham Hotspur vs Chelsea Potential Line-ups

Tottenham Hotspur (3-4-3): Fraser Forster; Cristian Romero, Eric Dier, Clement Lenglet; Emerson Royal, Oliver Skipp, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Ben Davies; Dejan Kulusevski, Harry Kane, Son Heung-min.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Kepa Arrizabalaga; Reece James, Thiago Silva, Benoit Badiashile, Ben Chilwell; Mateo Kovacic, Enzo Fernandez; Mykhailo Mudryk, Joao Felix, Raheem Sterling; Kai Havertz. 

How to Watch?

Tottenham vs Chelsea, alongside all other fixtures in England’s top flight, is available to watch online via live Premier League streams.

Tottenham Hotspur vs Chelsea Prediction

With a game in hand, Chelsea could build a decent case in the top-four run-in by winning here, but it’s hard to back them for success with any real conviction.

We’d stick with Tottenham in this one, although we also expect the Blues to score.

Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Chelsea