Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the English Premier League match.
Another London derby headlines the round, though neither side arrives in top form. Chelsea are clinging to a Champions League spot, while Tottenham Hotspur — despite their position in the table — remain a dangerous opponent.
Chelsea
Chelsea currently sit fourth but will likely kick off in fifth if Manchester City, who face Leicester City earlier, take care of business. That ramps up the pressure on Chelsea, who’ve been blunt in front of goal. Without Nicolas Jackson, still unavailable, they have lacked a clinical edge. Cole Palmer — who missed the last league match and England’s internationals — might return, but he’s clearly short of match sharpness. Across their last three outings, Chelsea have found the net just twice.
Tottenham Hotspur
One of those matches was a defeat to arch-rivals Arsenal, themselves dealing with attacking issues. Tottenham, by contrast, come into this fixture with most of their firepower intact. Richarlison de Andrade has been in and out all season and remains sidelined, but that’s hardly new. Dejan Kulusevski (7 goals) joined the injury list in March, but the rest of Ange Postecoglou’s front line is fit: Brennan Johnson, Son Heung-min, James Maddison and Dominic Solanke have combined for 32 goals this season.
Chelsea vs Tottenham Hotspur Prediction
In the reverse fixture, Chelsea triumphed 4:3 in a chaotic match — but at the time Tottenham Hotspur had a full injury crisis, including no senior fit goalkeeper. Chelsea, meanwhile, were nearly at full strength and in decent form. Now the roles have reversed. Tottenham are the more balanced side in terms of health and momentum, while Chelsea have struggled to beat anyone outside the bottom half.
