Key events
1 minute A bad ball from Badiashile (a Benoit ball, if you're a Goldie Lookin' Chain fan) goes straight to Kulusevski 30 yards out. He's a little hesitant by his standards and eventually makes an outside pass to Johnson. His center is deflected back into a corner, from which nothing comes.
1 minute The Spurs tear from right to left as we watch.
“Caicedo will reverse possession and play alongside Lavia” says our man Jacob Steinberg. “Fernandez moves forward and becomes a 3-2-5.”
The way we describe formations is outdated, isn't it? I know this sounds pretentious, but you really need to list two formations: one with and without the ball.
A reminder of the teams.
Spurs (4-3-3) Forster; Pedro Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Kulusevski, Bissouma, Sarr; Johnson, Solanke, Jr.
Substitutes: Austin, Reguilon, Dragusin, Spence, Maddison, Gray, Bergvall, Werner, Lankshear.
Chelsea (4-2-3-1) Sanchez; Caicedo, Badiashile, Colwill, Cucurella; Fernández, Lavia; Neto, Palmer, Sancho; Jackson.
Substitutes: Jorgensen, Disasi, Adarabioyo, Gusto, Dewsbury-Hall, Veiga, Madueke, Felix, Nkunku.
Referee Anthony Taylor.
The thoughts of Enzo Maresca
Tottenham is a very good team with good players, a good squad and a good coach. Today they have Romero and Van de Ven, and I'm sure they will do well.
(On the possibility of being four points behind Liverpool) It is an opportunity because we can improve and these types of games tell us (how they can improve). For me it is nothing more than that. Our focus is not on Liverpool and City, but on us and how we can improve.
Ange Postecoglou's thoughts before the match
It's a welcome boost for us (to have Romero and Van de Ven back). We thought that Micky would return next Thursday but he trained very well; They both really wanted to play.
We have been in this position before, when we got a good result against a superior team (after some bad results). Anyway, it is an important game: it is a derby, they are in a good position and it is a great test for us. Here at home, when we play football, it is difficult to stop.
Having that energy with the fans at home can really help you get an advantage. Sometimes we have to do our part too: we have to excite them. Hopefully we can start the game well and put Chelsea on the defensive.
In a completely preceding developmentIt was a bit dark when I looked at the Chelsea team. Moisés Caicedo, not Romeo Lavia, will start at right back, partly to look after Son Heung-min well, partly because he played there against Aston Villa last weekend and he definitely knew it and cannot be proven otherwise.
Chelsea (4-2-3-1) Sanchez; Caicedo, Badiashile, Colwill, Cucurella; Fernández, Lavia; Neto, Palmer, Sancho; Jackson.
Substitutes: Jorgensen, Disasi, Adarabioyo, Gusto, Dewsbury-Hall, Veiga, Madueke, Felix, Nkunku.
A victory today would move Chelsea four points behind Liverpooleven if he has played one more game. Who knows: Chelsea-Liverpool on May 3 could be an unlikely decisive match for the title.
There aren't too many worries in that regard.
It has already been a good day for Spurs and Chelseawith Arsenal's hated title chances suffering a major blow at Craven Cottage. These are the results of the 2:00 p.m. matches.
Fulham-Arsenal 1-1
Ipswich 1-2 Bournemouth
Leicester 2-2 Brighton
team news
Ange Postecoglou is capable of choosing Spurs' best four defenders, with Pedro Porro, Christian Romero and Micky van de Ven all coming back. Archie Gray, Radu Dragusin and Ben Davies drop out. the return of Son Heung Min It's bad news for James Maddison, whose topsy-turvy season continues with his return to the bench. Dejan Kulusevski will move to midfield.
Enzo Maresca has done seven changesand it seems Romeo Lavia He will play as a right back. The four players who started the 5-1 victory at Southampton are the unbeatable ones: Marc Cucurella, Moisés Caicedo, the in-form Enzo Fernández and Cole Palmer.
Spurs (4-3-3) Forster; Pedro Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Kulusevski, Bissouma, Sarr; Johnson, Solanke, Jr.
Substitutes: Austin, Reguilon, Dragusin, Spence, Maddison, Gray, Bergvall, Werner, Lankshear.
Chelsea (possible 4-2-3-1) Sanchez; Lavia, Badiashile, Colwill, Cucurella; Fernández, Caicedo; Neto, Palmer, Sancho; Jackson.
Substitutes: Jorgensen, Disasi, Adarabioyo, Gusto, Dewsbury-Hall, Veiga, Madueke, Felix, Nkunku.
Referee Anthony Taylor.
Preamble
So, they are Chelsea in this title race or what? We'll have a better idea after today's game, a really complicated and surprisingly easy trip to the Tottenham Hotpsur stadium.
The reason for the two options is the recent form of their opponents. The good news for Tottenham fans is that their team is no longer Spursy. The bad news is that they have become Jekyll and Spursy, capable of humiliating Manchester's finest with exciting football on a good day or losing to, well, pretty much anyone on a bad day.
Ange Postecoglou's row with an empathy void at Bournemouth has increased scrutiny ahead of today's game, and his love affair with Spurs is starting to feel a bit like a Blue Valentine. Let's hope not: as a neutral, Postecoglou's team – and their repeated pleas for maturity in an exhaustingly infantile culture – add a lot to the first division.
So does Enzo Maresca's Chelsea. It helps to have Cole Palmer, sure, but he's done a pretty remarkable job so far. Chelsea's only defeats have been against Manchester City (before the crisis) and Liverpool, and they are already nine points better than at the same stage last season. And just as importantly, given the nature of Chelsea FC in the 21st century, there has been almost no noise.
What Big Ange would give for a little peace and quiet. The best way to achieve this, now and always, is to win football games.
Kick off 4:30 p.m.
