The Dugout Discussion – Tottenham Vs Chelsea

The last match of a quick-fire Gameweek 20 takes place at White Hart Lane this evening as Tottenham entertain London neighbours Chelsea. Mauricio Pochettino’s side will be desperate to avenge their 3-0 reverse at Stamford Bridge early last month and welcome their visitors in fine form, having dropped just two points in the last four matches.

Up against a defence with six clean sheets in eight, though, the home side face a tough task. Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen are the dangermen here – both players have served up four goals and two assists in their last eight, with Eriksen edging it for bonus by ten points to nine.

For Chelsea, John Terry will be looking for a third goal in four appearances in what has been a favourable festive period for the Blues’ skipper. Eden Hazard goes into this one with a goal or assist in each of his last four, though Cesc Fabregas has been the league leaders’ most consistent performer on the road, with returns in seven of his ten away appearances. Up front, Diego Costa’s underlying stats remain strong in spite of some limited recent returns – he’ll be looking to notch on the road for the first time since Gameweek 11.

The team news offers few surprises from the Chelsea camp as Cesar Azpilicueta is recalled at left-back, while Oscar and Willian return in midfield for Mikel and Andre Schurrle – Cesc Fabregas will switch to a deeper role alongside Nemanja Matic, then. Spurs make three changes in opposition – Danny Rose comes in for Ben Davies at left-back, Kyle Walker is recalled for Vlad Chiriches on the right and Nabil Bentaleb recovers from illness to replace Benjamin Stambouli in the middle of the park.