Chelsea vs. Tottenham Hotspur: EPL Match Preview, Odds & Predictions

London rivals Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur will meet again at Stamford Bridge on Thursday night for a Premier League match, almost 10 years after the notorious "Battle of the Bridge" confrontation.

Chelsea prevailed 4-3 in a thrilling seven-goal battle between these two clubs in North London about four months ago.

Previous Matches and head

Arsenal, Tottenham's North London rivals, defeated Chelsea 1-0 at the Emirates Stadium on March 16 to snap Chelsea's four-game winning streak in all competitions before the international break.

The loss was Chelsea's third in a row in the Premier League, and Enzo Maresca's team is desperately trying to secure a spot in the top four. With nine games remaining, they are one point ahead of Manchester City in fourth place and two points ahead of sixth-place Newcastle United, who have a game in hand. Brentford, in eleventh place, is only eight points behind.

Chelsea, who aim to avoid finishing outside of the Premier League's top five for three consecutive seasons, is in a fiercely contested race for next season's Champions League football. They are currently preparing for three Premier League matches against teams in the bottom half of the league and their two-legged Conference League quarter-final tie with Legia Warsaw later this month.

Stamford Bridge has been the site of four consecutive Premier League victories for the West Londoners, who have kept a clean sheet in two of those games against Southampton (4-0) and Leicester (1-0). The last time Chelsea won three consecutive home matches without allowing a goal was from April to May 2024, a run that included a 2-0 victory over Spurs.

On Thursday, Chelsea will be feeling confident in their prospects of winning the Premier League match against Tottenham. They have a 36-point advantage and have scored 120 goals against Tottenham, which is more than any other opponent.  Chelsea have scored 120 goals against Spurs, which is more than any other club in the league. The only two teams with more goals scored against them are Arsenal and Manchester United, with 124 goals each.

Similar to Chelsea, Tottenham lost their last game before the international break against Fulham, dropping to 15th place in the Premier League for the season.

Rodrigo Muniz and ex-Spurs player Ryan Sessegnon scored in the second half to put the Lilywhites in a 2-0 loss at Craven Cottage. They are now ten points behind the top half of the Premier League standings and wallow in fourteenth place.

Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham future is once again under scrutiny after an "unacceptable" defeat against Fulham, but winning the Europa League seems to be the only silver lining.  Now he has to deal with some unwelcome history: if Spurs lose against Chelsea on Thursday, the Greek-Australian would become the first Spurs manager in club history to lose all four of his league matches against Chelsea.

With five losses in nine London derbies (W3, D1), Tottenham has the lowest Premier League point total of any side this season (10, tied with Brentford).  Spurs have never lost more London derbies in a single league season than in 1987–88, 1989–90, 2003–04 (all six) and 2004–05 (seven).

On Thursday, Tottenham will try to win their first game at Stamford Bridge since an April 2018 3-1 victory. However, they will enter the competition having lost eight of their fourteen Premier League away matches this season. Only Leicester (10) and Southampton (12) have lost more. The last time the Lilywhites had more away defeats in a single league season was in 2008-09 (11).

Chelsea vs. Tottenham Hotspur Team News

The following Chelsea players are still out with injuries: Mykhaylo Mudryk (suspended), Marc Guiu (hamstring), and Omari Kellyman (both hamstring). However, after participating in training, Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson, and Noni Madueke may be able to return to the matchday squad.

With Palmer and Jackson's possible returns, Pedro Neto, who has been playing centrally, might be moved to the right flank, while Jadon Sancho and Christopher Nkunku could fight for a starting spot on the left wing.

In the match against Arsenal, Reece James played in the middle of the field, but he may return to his right-back position with Wesley Fofana moving into the middle of the defense with Levi Colwill. Maresca will have to decide whether to keep Robert Sanchez in goal, who has started three of Chelsea's last four games across all competitions, or call up Filip Jorgensen.

As for Tottenham, Radu Dragusin will miss the rest of the season due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury, but Postecoglou may get a lift from the return of a few players who will be evaluated before kickoff: Lucas Bergvall (sickness), Dejan Kulusevski (foot), Kevin Danso (hamstring), and Richarlison (calf).

In the event that Danso is unable to play, Cristian Romero may team up with Micky van de Ven at centre-back, and Postecoglou may consider starting the hot-form Djed Spence at right-back instead of Pedro Porro or Destiny Udogie on the left.

Although he has only appeared in the past three Premier League games as a substitute, captain Son Heung-min of South Korea may be called upon to start on the left wing instead of Mathys Tel. Other players vying for a spot in the starting lineup are Wilson Odobert, James Maddison, and Pape Matar Sarr.

Our predictions

Chelsea to win @ 1.67 on Sky247.ng

Both Chelsea and Spurs have struggled to find the back of the net recently, so it's anyone's guess whether this clash will be another goal-fest between two inconsistent teams that are equally intent on avoiding defeat as they are on winning.

Considering Spurs' dismal home record—winning just one of their last 39 away league visits over the past 35 years—the hosts will be considered heavy favorites. However, with Palmer and Jackson back for the Blues, they should be able to secure three important points.

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