After an international break that felt like it lasted a lifetime, the Premier League has returned and two of its heavyweights face off on Sunday afternoon. Tottenham make the short trip across London to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge as both sides look to boost their chances of a top-four finish. Spurs are hanging on to fourth place but with the Blues in fifth, they are far from confirming their place in next season’s Champions League.

STATS

• An emphatic title win last term has been followed up by a very weak title defence from Chelsea. They were dumped out of Europe by Barcelona and are looking as though they may have to settle for the Europa League next season. With just two wins in their last six league matches, a top four place is becoming less and less likely.
• After a shaky start to life at Wembley, it looks as though Mauricio Pochettino has regained control at Spurs and they look like genuine contenders for second place. They are unbeaten in 12 league fixtures and have won their last four consecutively. The North London side went a goal down last time out against Bournemouth but came back to win 4-1.
• Eden Hazard is having a great season and with 11 league goals, he is Chelsea’s leading scorer. The Belgian is certainly the man to watch on Sunday.
• Spurs have relied on Harry Kane for their main source of goals but with his injury, the responsibility shifts onto Heung-Min Son, who has 12 league goals.

HEAD TO HEAD

Matches between Chelsea and Tottenham are always entertaining and with both teams scoring in four of their last five meetings, it’s always a great contest. Marcos Alonso stole the show in the most recent one as his two goals, either side of Michy Batshuayi’s own goal, secured the points for the Blues at Wembley. In the last 18 fixtures in all competitions between these sides, Spurs have managed just two wins, a record they’ll be hoping to change.

CHELSEA NEWS

To keep hopes of a top-four finish alive, Chelsea must win on Sunday. They are without David Luiz in the backline while Thibaut Courtois and Andreas Christensen face late fitness tests to assess whether they’re ready.

Latest matches: Chelsea FC

18.03.2018	FA C	Leicester City	Chelsea FC	1:2	W
14.03.2018	UEFA	FC Barcelona	Chelsea FC	3:0	L
10.03.2018	Prem	Chelsea FC	Crystal Palace	2:1	W
04.03.2018	Prem	Manchester City	Chelsea FC	1:0	L
25.02.2018	Prem	Manchester United	Chelsea FC	2:1	L

TOTTENHAM NEWS

Three points for the visitors would see them open up a gap of eight points over Chelsea in the race for fourth place, some much-needed breathing room. The absence of Kane will hit them hard but they don’t have to worry about any other injuries.

Latest matches: Tottenham Hotspur

17.03.2018	FA C	Swansea City	Tottenham Hotspur	0:3	W
11.03.2018	Prem	Bournemouth AFC	Tottenham Hotspur	1:4	W
07.03.2018	UEFA	Tottenham Hotspur	Juventus Turin	1:2	L
03.03.2018	Prem	Tottenham Hotspur	Huddersfield Town	2:0	W
28.02.2018	FA C	Tottenham Hotspur	Rochdale FC	6:1	W

SUMMARY

There is rarely a dull fixture between these two sides and this one should be no different with both teams looking to take a huge win. With home advantage, Chelsea are slight favourites but with Tottenham in much better form, the visitors will pose a serious threat. Kane’s injury will play to Chelsea’s strengths but they must be wary of the other danger men for Spurs.