Chelsea and Tottenham are both in need of a statement derby performance to lift the mood as the London rivals go head-to-head at Stamford Bridge tonight. It is the eighth anniversary of the Battle of the Bridge and Mauricio Pochettino is once again involved in this fixture, though this time he will be in the blue corner.
His side came from two goals down to earn a draw with Aston Villa last weekend and Chelsea are still in the hunt for European football next season, despite a hugely inconsistent campaign. The Blues were hammered 5-0 by Arsenal in their last London derby – any repeat of that performance and result and the pressure on Pochettino will be huge.
Ange Postecoglou makes his first visit to Stamford Bridge tonight, with his Spurs side needing a big response after their north London derby disappointment. Tottenham are seven points behind Aston Villa in the race for Champions League football and while they have two games in hand, there are still games against Liverpool and Manchester City to come. James Maddison has been dropped to the bench, while Richarlison comes in to lead the line. Follow all the action with Standard Sport’s LIVE blog, featuring expert analysis from our reporters at the ground!
Chelsea vs Tottenham latest news
-
Kick-off: 8pm BST | Stamford Bridge
-
How to watch: Sky Sports
-
Chelsea team news: Blues down to bare bone
-
Tottenham team news: Maddison dropped
-
Standard Sport prediction
Dan Kilpatrick at Stamford Bridge
19:38 , Matt Verri
Another demonstration there of how easy it is to quickly transition against Spurs at times.
Sarr lost the ball in midfield and quick as a flash Mudryk released Jackson.
Spurs were saved falling behind by van de Ven’s recovery pace.
Chelsea 0-0 Tottenham
19:36 , Matt Verri
5 mins: OFF THE LINE!
Chelsea should be in front. Mudryk with the ball in behind, Jackson is clean through on goal.
Tries to slide it under Vicario, goalkeeper gets a big touch and Van de Ven gets back, clearing it off the line.
Falls to Palmer, turns it over from a few yards out. Basically just him him.
Chelsea 0-0 Tottenham
19:35 , Matt Verri
4 mins: Spurs try and play their way out at the back, Emerson can only flick a header straight out of play.
Cucurella returns the favour at the other end, shanked clearance. Scrappy opening few minutes.
Chelsea 0-0 Tottenham
19:33 , Matt Verri
2 mins: Frantic start as expected – nobody getting a second on the ball.
Gallagher getting stuck in immediately, clips Porro and that’s a free-kick. First chance for everyone to breathe.
KICK-OFF!
19:31 , Matt Verri
We’re up and running at Stamford Bridge!
Home fans make their opinion clear!
19:28 , Matt Verri
Conor Gallagher is Chelsea’s captain again tonight, but his future at the club is still in doubt.
Blues fans certainly want him to stay.
Nizaar Kinsella at Stamford Bridge
19:28 , Matt Verri
Captain Reece James in the matchday programme: “I’ve been working hard on my recovery and it’s been an amazing feeling to rejoin the group for parts of our training sessions.
“It has been a long road back and there is still work for me to do before I’m fully match fit but I can’t wait to be back on the pitch with the boys.”
Here we go!
19:26 , Matt Verri
Teams are in the tunnel, kick-off just a few minutes away.
Tottenham have an absolutely awful record at Stamford Bridge – need to change that tonight or their season is really falling apart.
Pochettino wants Chelsea fight
19:21 , Matt Verri
On the eighth anniversary of the Battle of the Bridge, Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino will find himself back at the scene of his most unforgettable match but on the other side of one of English football’s bitterest divides.
The ferocity of Chelsea’s 2-2 draw against Pochettino’s Tottenham in 2016, when the hosts came from two goals down to earn a point which handed the title to Leicester, goes some way to explaining why he is still trying to win over the majority of Blues supporters.
As Dele Alli explained recently, for Pochettino’s Spurs the rivalry with Chelsea “became more personal” than their competition with Arsenal, and the Argentine’s part in stoking the flames has not been forgotten at Stamford Bridge — not that he has ever tried to deny it.
“You cannot compare nearly six years with 10 months,” Pochettino said yesterday, when asked if he feels more connected with his current club than Spurs.
Pochettino relished Tottenham’s passion in the Battle of the Bridge, never once coming close to suggesting they may have crossed a line, even after they received nine yellow cards and Mousa Dembele earned a retrospective six-match ban for eye-gouging Diego Costa.
“The way that we [Spurs] competed, it was really good,” Pochettino said yesterday.
Pochettino has always been happy to wear his heart on his sleeve and lean into the emotion of big derbies and he will try to channel the heat of tonight’s occasion into a positive result for his current club, who remain in the hunt for a European place.
Dan Kilpatrick at Stamford Bridge
19:17 , Matt Verri
Ange Postecoglou has changed his entire midfield tonight, suggesting he was not impressed with his side’s control in the middle of the park against Arsenal on Sunday.
Dropping James Maddison is the big call and a brave one to make for such an important fixture.
Pressure on both sides!
19:15 , Matt Verri
A win over fierce rivals would really lift the mood in either camp.
The opposite, of course, is also true…
Injuries hurting the Blues…
19:09 , Matt Verri
That starting XI best deliver for Chelsea, or they are in trouble!
Chelsea need new leaders
19:01 , Matt Verri
Thiago Silva’s groin injury means he may have played his last game for Chelsea.
The Brazilian’s absence for tonight’s game against Tottenham leaves his side down to the bare bones at centre-back, but long-term, the bigger problem for Chelsea is how they will replace Silva’s leadership when the 39-year-old leaves at the end of the season.
Despite concerns about a lack of leaders in an inexperienced dressing room, Chelsea believe Ben Chilwell and Reece James can fill the void left by Silva. The pair have impressed club officials off the pitch, despite their injury problems.
Stand-in captain Conor Gallagher has stepped up well in their absence and showed his leadership qualities by resolving a penalty spat involving Noni Madueke and Nicolas Jackson last month. But his future remains uncertain beyond this summer.
Former caretaker manager Frank Lampard also identified Enzo Fernandez as a potential future leader.
Mauricio Pochettino says it is on him and his coaches to develop the personalities within dressing room, but Chelsea are sure new leaders will emerge.
Postecoglou reveals derby outlook
18:55 , Matt Verri
Ange Postecoglou has little interest in getting his players fired up for a London derby.
Arsenal on Sunday, Chelsea tonight… the Spurs boss does not view it as a special occasion.
“I’ve always tried to create a mindset where you shouldn’t feel more passionate about one fixture than another,” Postecoglou said.
“I don’t understand that and I don’t believe in it. I know what it means to the club and the supporters, absolutely, but I tell the players always to play as if it’s their last game of football.”
All very friendly…
18:50 , Matt Verri
A Battle of the Bridge repeat is looking unlikely.
Mauricio Pochettino and Ange Postecoglou can’t stop hugging each other at Stamford Bridge.
Game’s gone.
Do Spurs fans need to hold their nerve?
18:43 , Matt Verri
Losing at home to your biggest rivals will make any fanbase jittery, and murmurings of unease about Ange Postecoglou’s tactics have increased among Tottenham supporters since Sunday’s defeat to Arsenal.
Postecoglou remains hugely popular among match-going fans, who sang his name throughout the derby, but his high-risk, attacking football appears to be creating a divide between the true believers (evAngelists) and the sceptics (Angenostics) — at least on social media.
In a nutshell, the evangelists ‘trust the process’ and are convinced Postecoglou is in the early stages of an exciting project; but the Angenostics are not sure his brand of football can ever work in the Premier League and want the Australian to occasionally to be more pragmatic and adaptable.
It was entirely predictable that Postecoglou would hit a rocky patch of results and face calls to change his tactics, because the same thing has happened to every progressive manager who has tried to transform the style of a top club in the Premier League, from Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta to Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp.
Read Dan Kilpatrick’s full column here!
Maddison dropped!
18:37 , Matt Verri
Big team news is that James Maddison is named on the bench for Tottenham, after a poor run of form.
Dejan Kulusevski starts at No10, while Richarlison leads the line. Emerson Royal, as expected, come in at left-back.
As for Chelsea, no surprises there. It is a very, very, very young bench.
Tottenham team news
18:33 , Matt Verri
Starting XI: Vicario, Porro, Romero, van de Ven, Emerson, Bissouma, Sarr, Johnson, Kulusevski, Son, Richarlison
Subs: Skipp, Hojbjerg, Dragusin, Maddison, Gil, Lo Celso, Bentancur, Austin, Moore
Chelsea team news
18:31 , Matt Verri
Starting XI: Petrovic; Gilchrist, Chalobah, Badiashile, Cucurella; Caicedo, Gallagher; Madueke, Palmer, Mudryk; Jackson
Subs: Bettinelli, Sturge, Acheampong, Dyer, Tauriainen, Castledine, Casadei, George, Deivid
Stand by!
18:27 , Matt Verri
All the team news from Stamford Bridge coming up in the next few minutes.
Chelsea, in particular, have very little choice when it comes to their side, as they battle a crazy injury list.
Gallagher must prove Euros point
18:22 , Matt Verri
Conor Gallagher has been handed an audition in the No6 role, as he bids to convince Chelsea of his worth and nail down a spot in the England team for the Euros.
The 24-year-old will again play in a deeper midfield position tonight – Mauricio Pochettino will start Gallagher alongside Moises Caicedo after Enzo Fernandez had surgery on a persistent groin injury.
That new double pivot has delivered improved performances for Chelsea. Gallagher and Caicedo worked well together at Aston Villa on Saturday, having previously been paired in the 6-0 win over Everton.
For Gallagher, the move from the No10 position to No6 has come at the perfect time.
He has been given a chance to show his abilities as Gareth Southgate weighs up a partner for Declan Rice at the base of the England midfield at the Euros this summer.
Last time they met…
18:14 , Matt Verri
It was eventful.
Spurs made a superb start, took the lead… and then had two men sent off and conceded four times.
The hosts played an increasingly ludicrous high line, even with nine men. Despite Spurs’ defence basically standing on the halfway line, it still took Chelsea a while to work out what to do.
Postecoglou confused by officiating
18:05 , Matt Verri
Tottenham remain in the dark over the current guidelines for obstructing goalkeepers in the box despite a request for clarification from PGMOL, according to Ange Postecoglou.
Guglielmo Vicario has struggled to deal with set plays at times during his first season in north London and Spurs were undone by two Arsenal crosses into the box during last weekend’s north London derby.
While Postecoglou has insisted he has no issues with Ben White’s antics to try and put Vicario off, he admitted his confusion at what is and isn’t deemed acceptable by Premier League officials.
“We seek clarification in case certain things have changed,” he told reporters.
“You never know. We just wanted some clarity on what the actual position is on interference on the goalkeeper.
“I’m ancient, mate, but I always thought that the goalkeeper was a bit of a protected species. Maybe that’s shifted now and I missed the memo.”
Postecoglou was asked if Spurs had received any clarity in their exchanges with PGMOL, to which he replied: “No, not really.”
Jackson: I miss too many chances
17:57 , Matt Verri
Nicolas Jackson has insisted the “goals will come”, as he admitted he has missed too many chances for Chelsea this season.
The 22-year-old has scored ten times in the Premier League in his first year in English football, but he has just one goal in his last eight matches across all competitions.
Jackson has faced criticism for his wastefulness in front of goal, particularly after the FA Cup last-four defeat to Manchester City when the forward missed several huge chances to fire Chelsea into the final, and he has reflected on a frustrating campaign on a collective and individual level.
“I think I should have scored more with the chances I missed,” Jackson told Sky Sports.
“Even if I scored 10 or 15, the most important thing is for the team to be as high as possible and make the fans happy. Then the goals will come.”
He added: “Trying to improve every day. The most important [thing] is being available for the team, helping the team and playing. I miss a lot but I’m trying to create more chances and score more. Hopefully next year it’s going to be better.”
Postecoglou: Spurs players not fully believing in tactics
17:49 , Matt Verri
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou has admitted that “the majority” of his players and staff are still not true believers in his attacking philosophy.
Spurs’ style of play and defending at set-pieces is under scrutiny ahead of tonight’s derby clash at Chelsea following defeats to Newcastle and rivals Arsenal in their last two outings.
Postecoglou is unlikely to make any concessions on style at Stamford Bridge -a 4-1 home defeat to Chelsea in the reverse fixture was arguably the best example of Postecoglou’s “non-negotiables” in action, as nine-man Spurs continued to defend on the halfway line and attack their rivals.
Asked if that performance had convinced him his demands were getting through to the squad, Postecoglou told Standard Sport: “That’s a fair reflection, but the question for me always is: are they doing it because I’m telling them to do it or are they doing it because they believe it?
“For it to truly evolve into something, it’s because the players believe it. And I’ve seen the players growing into it, but we’re not there yet.
“It’s great they’re listening to me, but it is challenging to play this way all the time. You can’t just dip your toe in, you’ve got to be all in. I’ve seen growth within the group for that, but they’ve still got a way to go.
“In my experience, the true belief comes when you’ve got the majority of the squad and staff [to a point] where if I didn’t turn up, they would still go about things in the same way. I don’t think we’re at the majority yet.”
Nkunku and Colwill closing in
17:42 , Matt Verri
Mauricio Pochettino has said that Christopher Nkunku and Levi Colwill are “on the line” in their respective injury recoveries.
The Argentine must deal with a 14-strong injury list for tonight’s derby and said he will give some “kids” a chance to play.
The Blues indicated this week, though, that Colwill and Nkunku are both back in “full training”.
Pochettino later explained why the pair are taking part fully at Cobham but can’t play in the London derby.
“They were training,” Pochettino told reporters on Wednesday. “Today, normally, we prepare the game for tomorrow. We did some set-pieces, tactical work, and meetings.
“They are nearly there. They are on the line, but they don’t cross the line. We hope they will cross the line for West Ham on Sunday.
“We hope. But still, we need to wait until tomorrow, Friday and Saturday to see if they can cope with the competition.”
On this day…
17:33 , Matt Verri
It’s the eighth year anniversary of the Battle of the Bridge!
Tottenham’s title hopes disappeared against Chelsea, and they went down swinging. And kicking. And stamping.
The Blues played their part too, on a truly chaotic night.
Mauricio Pochettino in the opposite dugout this time.
Standard Sport prediction
17:24 , Matt Verri
Spurs are threatening to spiral towards a miserable end to the season but few teams have defined the phrase ‘spiral’ like Chelsea in recent years.
Pochettino has enjoyed a relatively decent record in big home games, though.
Whichever way this one falls, two leaky defences mean there should be goals.
Chelsea to win, 3-2.
Tottenham team news
17:17 , Matt Verri
Two fresh injury blows have handed Ange Postecoglou a selection conundrum.
Ben Davies has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a calf injury picked up in Sunday’s north London derby.
With Destiny Udogie also sidelined until late summer, Emerson Royal is likely to deputise at left-back for the crunch visit to Stamford Bridge.
Timo Werner will miss the rest of the campaign as well, with the hamstring injury which forced him off in the first half of the defeat to Arsenal.
Heung-min Son was ineffective through the middle against the Gunners so Richarlison could start for the first time since mid-February, with the South Korean star returning to the left flank.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg was a surprise starter against Arsenal but Postecoglou could recall Yves Bissouma and Pape Sarr after they were benched on Sunday, with Rodrigo Bentancur’s spot at risk too.
Predicted Tottenham XI (4-3-3): Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Emerson; Bissouma, Sarr, Maddison; Kulusevski, Richarlison, Son
Chelsea team news
17:11 , Matt Verri
Both Thiago Silva and Axel Disasi have been added to Chelsea’s long injury list.
Disasi misses out for unspecified reasons, while Silva suffered a groin injury in the 2-2 draw at Aston Villa.
Levi Colwill and Christopher Nkunku are back in full training but Mauricio Pochettino has confirmed that the London derby against Spurs at Stamford Bridge will come too soon.
Reece James, Malo Gusto, Enzo Fernandez, Lesley Ugochukwu, Ben Chilwell, Romeo Lavia, Robert Sanchez and Wesley Fofana are all still out injured.
Pochettino has limited options and only nine senior outfield players to choose from.
Chelsea’s only available midfield duo, Moises Caicedo and Conor Gallagher, will play as a double pivot, while Alfie Gilchrist will again start at right-back with Trevoh Chalobah and Benoit Badiashile in the centre of defence.
Predicted Chelsea XI (4-2-3-1): Petrovic; Gilchrist, Chalobah, Badiashile, Cucurella; Caicedo, Gallagher; Madueke, Palmer, Mudryk; Jackson
How to watch Chelsea vs Tottenham
17:04 , Matt Verri
TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, with coverage beginning at 7pm BST ahead of an 7.30pm kick-off.
Live stream: Subscribers can also catch the contest live online via the Sky Go app.
Live blog: You can follow all the action right here with us! Nizaar Kinsella, Dan Kilpatrick and Nick Purewal will be providing expert analysis at the ground.
Good evening!
16:58 , Matt Verri
Hello and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of Chelsea vs Tottenham!
It’s another huge London derby in the Premier League, both sides in need of points heading into the final weeks of the season.
This fixture rarely disappoints – chaos and drama normally guaranteed.
We’ll have all the latest updates, build-up and team news ahead of kick-off, which comes at 7:30pm BST from Stamford Bridge.
