Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur will be eager to return to winning ways when they face off at Stamford Bridge on Thursday.
The curtains will fall on Gameweek 30 of the 2024/25 Premier League season on Thursday, which will feature only one match. Chelsea vs Tottenham Hotspur will end the latest round of fixtures when the two sides lock horns at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea once seemed like the dark horse in the Premier League title race. However, the Blues have blown hot and cold since the final few weeks of 2024, with wins coming few and far between. While Enzo Maresca’s charges have been exceptional in the UEFA Europa Conference League, they have won only five of their last 15 domestic games. However, despite the struggles, they remain in the top four, with UEFA Champions League qualification possible.
On the other hand, 2024/25 has been a season to forget for Tottenham Hotspur. The Lilywhites are 14th in the Premier League standings, with European qualification only possible if they win the UEFA Europa League this season. Meanwhile, Ange Postecoglou’s men went into the international break on the back of a three-match winless run in the Premier League.
The reverse fixture saw Chelsea come from two goals down to beat Tottenham Hotspur 4-3, with Cole Palmer scoring a match-winning brace. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Chelsea
Enzo Maresca has greeted positive updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Chelsea manager will be bereft of the services of only three first-team players vs Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday.
Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke, and Nicolas Jackson have resumed training and should be ready to return to action this weekend. In addition, Marc Guiu is closing in on making his comeback. However, Thursday’s game will have come too soon for the Spanish wonderkid. However, Omari Kellyman remains on the sidelines, while Mykhailo Mudryk’s suspension has not ended yet.
Robert Sanchez might get the nod over Filip Jorgensen between the sticks, with Chelsea lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday. The backline should feature Reece James, Wesley Fofana, Levi Colwill, and Marc Cucurella.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez in the double pivot. Cole Palmer should reprise the no. 10 role, with Pedro Neto and Jadon Sancho being the two wide attackers. Finally, Nicolas Jackson will likely lead the line for Chelsea against Tottenham on Thursday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; James, Fofana, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez; Neto, Palmer, Sancho; Jackson
Tottenham Hotspur
Like his counterpart in the Chelsea dugout, Ange Postecoglou has greeted positive updates on the team news front ahead of the trip to Stamford Bridge. The Tottenham Hotspur manager will be without four first-team players on Thursday.
Lucas Bergvall has recovered from illness and should be ready to take on Chelsea. Richarlison has resumed training, although Thursday’s game will have come too soon for the Brazilian attacker. Meanwhile, Kevin Danso (hamstring) and Dejan Kulusevski (foot) should return this month, while Radu Dragusin will not play again in the 2024/25 season.
Guglielmo Vicario is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Tottenham Hotspur lining up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him vs Chelsea on Thursday. The backline should feature Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, and Djed Spence.
As for the midfield unit, Rodrigo Bentancur will hold the fort in the middle of the park, with Pape Matar Sarr providing defensive support and James Maddison being the creative force for the away side. Finally, Dominic Solanke will spearhead the Tottenham attack against Chelsea, with Son Heung-min and Brennan Johnson being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Vicario; Porro, Romero, van de Ven, Spence; Sarr, Bentancur, Maddison; Johnson, Solanke, Son
Key Stats
- Chelsea have lost only one of their last 12 Premier League games vs Tottenham Hotspur (W9 D2), winning the three most recent meetings by an aggregate score of 10-4. The Lilywhites have lost their last three Premier League matches against Chelsea, most recently losing more consecutive ties against the Blues between January 2000 and March 2002 (6).
- No side has earned fewer points in Premier League London derbies this season than Tottenham (10, level with Brentford). The North London giants have lost five of nine games in these settings this season (W3 D1). Only in 1987/88 (6), 1989/90 (6), 2003/04 (6), and 2004/05 (7) did they suffer more London derby defeats in a league campaign.
- Chelsea have won their last four Premier League games at Stamford Bridge, with the two most recent victories coming with a clean sheet. Only once in the five most recent seasons (from 2020/21) have the Blues won three successive home league games without conceding, doing so from April to May 2024 in a run that included a 2-0 win over Tottenham.
- Coming into Gameweek 30, only Leicester City (10) and Southampton (12) have lost more Premier League away games this season than Tottenham Hotspur (8). Not since 2008/09 have the Lilywhites suffered more defeats on the road in a single league campaign (11).
- Son Heung-min has nine Premier League assists this season, leaving him one away from recording 10+ assists in four separate seasons in the competition (10 in 2019/20, 2020/21, and 2023/24). That would equal Christian Eriksen’s Premier League record for Tottenham. However, Son has faced Chelsea in the league 17 times without providing an assist – the most he has faced a side in the Premier League without setting up a goal.
Player to Watch
Nicolas Jackson
While Cole Palmer, Son Heung-min, and Dominic Solanke were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Nicolas Jackson as our Player to Watch for Thursday’s Premier League game between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues have sorely missed the Senegalese international in the last few weeks, with his absence leaving Palmer with too much to do in the final third. Jackson could not have timed his return any better, considering he will face his favourite opponent, having scored a personal-high four goals in the Premier League against Tottenham.
The Chelsea striker has scored nearly half of his Premier League goals (47.8 per cent) in London derbies (11/23); among players with 20+ Premier League strikes, only Manuel Lanzini has netted a higher proportion in all-London clashes (48.1% – 13/27). Enzo Maresca will hope Jackson is at his best when he returns this week.
Prediction
Chelsea 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur
With both teams struggling for wins in the last few weeks, three points will be critical. However, while Chelsea will have nothing but the Premier League top four to play for in the remaining weeks of the 2024/25 season, Tottenham must prioritise winning the UEFA Europa League to salvage a disastrous campaign.
So, even though pride will be at stake for both sides, we should see Chelsea pushing harder for each game-changing moment. While Tottenham will not go down without a fight, they might not have the quality to topple Chelsea. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Enzo Maresca and his charges.