Spurs vs Chelsea: Blues look to continue memorable start under Sarri

With international football now behind us for the rest of the year, the Premier League returns with a bang on Saturday afternoon as Tottenham and Chelsea face off, hoping to secure three points to close the gap on leaders Manchester City.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side have made another strong start to the campaign despite opting not to delve into the market in the summer. Much of that has been down to picking up points on their travels, with five wins in their last six Premier League games being secured by a tight one-goal margin. Worryingly, Spurs have secured just 22% of their points so far at Wembley – a statistic that’s in dire need of changing should they hope to close the gap on Liverpool and Manchester City as the season progresses.

Saturday presents a great opportunity to do just that; a statement win would see them leapfrog Chelsea into third place before a pivotal few weeks in their season. Games against Chelsea, Inter Milan and Southampton alongside a crunch tie with Arsenal in early December will give further indications as to the true makings of this side and their capabilities.

As for Chelsea, they deserve huge credit for the start they’ve made under new boss Maurizio Sarri. They represent the only English team to remain unbeaten in all competitions while the Italian has become the first manager to go his first twelve games unbeaten in England’s top flight – a feat that surpasses Frank Clark’s record of 11 matches with Nottingham Forest back in 1994.

With their progression to the Europa League already confirmed, Sarri will be eyeing a surge on the Premier League title in what has already been a memorable first season at Stamford Bridge.

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Spurs will be without Kieran Trippier, Danny Rose and Davinson Sanchez for the crunch tie, but Jan Vertonghen is set to make a timely return to action after a hamstring injury. Meanwhile, Christian Eriksen will offer another huge boost to the home side’s chances of clinching the three points, with the midfielder recovering from an abdominal injury that had previously threatened to rule him out.

Chelsea’s Mateo Kovacic is set to be available despite missing Croatia’s clash with England in the Nations League but is likely to settle for a place on the bench due to the continued form of Ross Barkley.