A mouth-watering fixture lies ahead of us as Tottenham Hotspur host Chelsea at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday in what will be the fifth outing of the new Premier League campaign for both London clubs.
Spurs enjoyed a 100 per cent start to the season, registering three consecutive 1-0 wins, until last weekend when they were thrashed 3-0 by Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. Japhet Tanganga’s red card just before the hour mark became the main turning point, as Spurs couldn’t cope with the hosts’ man advantage and crumbled in south London.
Chelsea are in rollicking form and joint top of the table having won three and drawn one from their opening four games. The Pensioners swept away Aston Villa 3-0 in the Premier League last weekend before edging out Zenit in their opening Champions League group stage game on Tuesday.
Regardless of witnessing contrasting fortunes since the last weekend, Sunday’s London derby will be a close affair between these two teams. Ahead of the game between Tottenham and Chelsea, here are three key battles to watch out for.
Romelu Lukaku vs Eric Dier
Romelu Lukaku is expected to lead the Chelsea attack on Sunday. Four goals in four games, Lukaku, 28, is in blistering form at the moment, following his double against Aston Villa with a second-half header against Zenit that proved to be the difference on Tuesday in the Champions League.
The big Belgian is a nightmare in the box, a real handful in the air and ready to punish defenders who give him space, as demonstrated with his exquisite one touch and finish for Chelsea’s third goal against Aston Villa.
Lukaku will go up against Tottenham’s Eric Dier, who is likely to be fit having suffered a dead leg against Crystal Palace. Dier, 27, has been Nuno’s pillar at the back and has started the season in decent form. However, he’ll have to be at the top of his game, along with his fellow Spurs defenders to keep the red-hot, irrepressible Lukaku at bay on Sunday.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg vs Mason Mount
Mason Mount is a clever operator on and off the ball and his importance to Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea side is immense. The England international, 22, is expected to be given a free role behind the main striker, and he’ll have to combine well with the central midfielders and provide the service to Lukaku, whilst trying to get in and around the box to test Hugo Lloris in Spurs goal.
Perhaps, Nuno will want Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg to keep a check on Mount on Sunday. A combative, tough-tackling midfielder, Hojbjerg, 26, will be tasked to cut the supply lines from Mount to Lukaku if Spurs are to frustrate Chelsea.
Harry Kane vs Antonio Rudiger
Harry Kane has endured a slow start to the season and was alarmingly poor against Crystal Palace last weekend. He never really threatened the Palace goalkeeper, spending the majority of the afternoon in south London anonymous.
Despite being underwhelming in the opening few weeks, Kane, 28, is one of the best strikers in the world and can score goals from absolutely nowhere. Knowing Kane’s qualities, Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger will need to ensure he keeps the Spurs star at bay.
Rudiger, 28, has not put a foot wrong so far this campaign and is probably playing the best football of his Chelsea career. He is a strong, no-nonsense defender who will have to marshal the Blues backline well against a tricky Spurs side that’ll likely play on the counter.
Certainly, the battle between Kane and Rudiger will be an intriguing one to watch on Sunday.