Chelsea welcome Tottenham Hotspur to Stamford Bridge in Sunday’s London derby.
The Blues are five points behind Spurs in the race for a top-four finish and find themselves in a must-win encounter to salvage their hopes getting Champions League football for next season.
Current form:
Chelsea have endured a poor run since the turn of the year, winning just two of their last five games, one of which came in extra time against Leicester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals.
Tottenham, on the hand, have impressed with four wins from five. Like the Blues, Mauricio Pochettino’s side were knocked out of the Champions League during this period but still have the opportunity to end their decade-long trophy drought after beating Swansea City 3-0 in the FA Cup quarter-finals.
Previous encounter:
The last time the London duo locked horns was in August at Wembley Stadium.
Chelsea had come into the game off the back of a surprise home defeat to Burnley but managed to overcome their disappointment with a brilliant win over Spurs.
Spanish defender Marcos Alonso opened the scoring for Chelsea with a sublime free-kick midway through the first period before Tottenham levelled the score.
An 82nd minute own goal from Michy Batshuayi brought the hosts back into the game, but Alonso scored his second of the game in the 88th minute with a wonderful low-effort that goalkeeper Hugo Lloris may feel he could have done better with – earning Chelsea a 2-1 victory.
Players to watch for:
Alvaro Morata:
The Spanish striker joined Chelsea from Real Madrid last summer and has struggled in his debut season while being hampered by a serious back injury.
He endured a 13-game run without scoring but managed to end the drought after finding the net against Leicester City in the FA Cup.
Morata will be keen to put in a strong performance after being omitted from the Spain squad.
Son Heung-min:
The South-Korean international has been an unsung hero this season. And in the absence of Harry Kane, Son will be expected to step up with another strong performance.
He failed to find the net against Swansea City in the FA Cup recently but prior to the meeting with the Swans, his form has been nothing short of superb – seven goals in his last four games.
The 25-year-old is just three goals shy of matching last season’s goal tally of 21.
Chelsea v Tottenham Prediction:
Chelsea 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur