Premier League - Tottenham Hotspur vs Chelsea

Both sides completed wins in their Matchday 5 fixtures at the weekend. Chelsea triumphed 2-0 over West London rivals Fulham at Stamford Bridge through an Oscar goal from close range in the second half, which was followed up later by a remarkable second from infamously goal-bereft John Obi Mikel - his first ever in his 7-year, 185-appearance Premier League career. Spurs, on the other hand, traveled to Wales to face off against Premier League new-boys Cardiff, who put up an admirable performance throughout and looked as though they had earned a point from the face-off, but were undone late, late on as Paulinho backheeled home the winner for AVB's men deep into stoppage time.











As a result, the two sides sit 2nd and 4th in the early Premier League table, with 2 points separating them. A win for Chelsea would see them overtake their neighbours in White. A Spurs victory would take them 5 clear of theirs in Blue.











One of the main talking points surrounding this match is not the rivalry of the two clubs, but that of their managers. Spurs boss Villas-Boas was once a member of Chelsea manager Mourinho's staff at Porto, Chelsea and Inter, but left his mentor at the start of the 09-10 season to become manager of Portuguese side Académica, and the two are famously no longer on speaking terms, both with each other, and largely even in the third person in media interviews, press conferences and the like. This will be the first time ever the Portuguese compatriots go head to head, and each will doubtless be eager to draw first blood against his former colleague.











Another of the many grudge elements of this match comes this season in the form of Willian. The Brazilian attacker looked all but certain to join the Spurs recruitment avalanche this summer, having completed a medical and commenced discussions over contract and personal terms, but a shock eleventh hour interjection by long-interested Chelsea saw the player shun the allurements of the Londoners in white in favour of those in blue, leaving many on both sides with mixed emotions.











AVB himself, too, is certain to be a grudge element of this game. The failed Chelsea manager was sacked by iron-fisted Blues owner Roman Abramovich in March of 2012 as fans saw the fumbling dilettante take their side to 5th in the Premiership, marginalise popular team mainstays to the bench, and bring them to the brink of exits from both the Champions League and FA Cup in the space of a week preceding his dismissal. The away supporters at last year's derby taunted their despised former manager as they led 4-2 with chants of "André, what's the score? André André, what's the score", and getting another one over on the Portuguese novice for the second time on the trot on his own patch would doubtless be received emphatically.











A long list of players have played for both side of this divide. Among them, Kerry Dixon, a Spurs youth player who became a pillar in Chelsea folklore and the club's 3rd all-time highest goalscorer; Jimmy Greaves, a Chelsea youth academy product who became a legend and massively prolific goalscorer for both sides; Glenn Hoddle, who played for, and managed, both Blue and White; and Terry Venables, a graduate of the swinging Chelsea youth side of the 60's under Tommy Docherty who eventually moved to Spurs and later became their manager, winning the FA Cup in 1991.











The corresponding fixture last year saw Chelsea complete a 4-2 comeback victory over their rivals, with the help of a beautiful goal from an Eden Hazard one-touch through-ball finished off by Juan Mata, which was later one of the contenders for the club's Goal of the Season. José Mourinho will certainly be hoping his men show the same quality and fight come Saturday that they did last season....and another goal of that quality certainly wouldn't be turned down either











Out for the home side are Younes Kaboul, Etienne Capoue, and Aaron Lennon, with Danny Rose hoping to win his fitness race and be available for selection. Chelsea, alternatively, are looking to be without Marco Van Ginkel, who sustained a nasty injury in the Blues' 2-0 Capital One Cup victor over Swindon Town Tuesday night, and are also sweating over the availability of Ramires, who came off at the half with a knock after being subbed on for the injured Van Ginkel.

Going to be a very very hard match and certainly one we can prove ourselves in.

Roosters premliminary final and then this game at 9.45, Saturday is going to be awesome!

7:45 in the morning for me

It's not a late night game? I thought it'd be about 2am for me

Very nice post Shed.
I don't feel so much confident about this one tho, this is probably going our most difficult match in the PL so far (haven't watched the United game but from what I've heard I didn't miss much). They haven't beat us since 2010 IIRC but I really fear they're going to win this one.

Result lies on ramires' fitness

After Van Ginkel's injury ,Ramires not being fit and Mikel sucks in pivot, I will stick my neck out and say play David Luiz there along with Lampard. Mou's hand may be forced but it can be a good thing as Rafa experimented and Luiz may even like it there. Luiz anyway moves the ball that far up the pitch, then why not ask him stay there.

I know this is not the time to experiment bu

Cech
Cole Cahill terry ivanovic
Luiz Oscar
Hazard mata schrulle
Torres

Maybe not for this game, but this is a lineup we should tinker with with eto taking Torres place and William taking schrulle's and visa versa. I just feel this gives us better defensive options and easier counter attacking ability, but alas idk if mou will ever do this

CHELSEA XI: Cech, Iva, Luiz, Terry, Cole, Mikel, Lampard, Ramires, Oscar, Hazard, Torres



Ramires out on the wing? When you have the kind of AM talent we do?

Just embarrassing.

Playing for the 0-0 again then?

F*ck that noise

Sigurdsson 1-0

Ivanovic denies Soldado a certain second. This is a shambles.

Spurs in cruise control. Us a disaster. Have we even registered a shot yet?

Small club mentality on show here

Should have been 2 there. Absolute sitter.

HT: Spurs 1-0 Chelsea


Horrifying first half on our end. Lucky to be 1 down and not 3.

That was awful

Line up had this written in it

Ideally we'd take off ramires and Torres for eto'o and mata, but that won't happen

Amazing Spuds

Mata on at the half.


Well thank f*ck for that.

Mata on