A long-awaited Tottenham Hotspur homecoming is pencilled in for Mauricio Pochettino on Monday evening, as the Argentine's Chelsea side travel across the capital to face their London rivals in a blockbuster Premier League affair.
The Lilywhites maintained their first-placed position by seeing off Crystal Palace 2-1 two Fridays ago, while the Blues overcame Blackburn Rovers 2-0 in midweek to reach the EFL Cup quarter-finals.
Match preview
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Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou has warned ex-Spurs boss Pochettino not to expect a guard of honour when he makes his North London return on Monday evening, but come the end of the campaign, teams could line up in applause for the Australian's free-flowing troupe if performances continue in the same vein.
Taking on Roy Hodgson's defensively-sound Crystal Palace under the bright lights of Selhurst Park often proves a troublesome occasion for many a team, and Tottenham could not unlock the Eagles' backline throughout the entirety of the first 45 minutes, but an unfortunate Joel Ward own goal set the wheels in motion before Son Heung-min increased the Lilywhites' advantage.
Jordan Ayew's last-gasp volley proved nothing more than a consolation - albeit a stunning consolation - as Postecoglou achieved a feat that none of his Premier League managerial predecessors managed, taking 26 points from his first 10 games in the competition.
While Tottenham are two points clear in top spot for the time being, victories for Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool over the weekend could bump the North London crop down to fourth spot by Monday, where Postecoglou will seek to become just the third Premier League head coach to traverse his first 11 games unbeaten after Frank Clark and Maurizio Sarri.
Scoring twice in each of their four home victories this season while also conceding a mere two goals along the way, Tottenham will also endeavour to string together a five-game winning run in the Premier League for the first time since December 2018; there are no prizes for guessing who led Spurs on that stellar streak.
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Pochettino's departure from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium could certainly be described as bittersweet - a poor run of results saw Daniel Levy pull the trigger only months after the Argentine collected a Champions League runners-up medal - but his Lilywhites homecoming should only be warmly welcomed by all present.
Chelsea's recent meetings with London foes have left a lot to be desired, though, as after throwing away a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 with comeback kings Arsenal, the Blues were left to rue 90 minutes of profligacy against West London neighbours Brentford, who struck twice on the counter through Ethan Pinnock and Bryan Mbeumo to make it three Stamford Bridge wins on the bounce.
With their mini-revival being stopped in its tracks, 11th-placed Chelsea - who may also be demoted lower in the coming hours - cannot escape the doldrums of mid-table mediocrity, but some pride was restored with a last-16 EFL Cup success over Blackburn, who succumbed to Benoit Badiashile's side-footed finish and a sublime Raheem Sterling curler.
As the Blues' Stamford Bridge woes continue, the Chelsea faithful can take comfort in the fact that their side have taken seven points from their last three top-flight fixtures on the road, albeit against a trio of bottom-half teams in Fulham, Bournemouth and newly-promoted Burnley.
However, Chelsea's February stopover at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium ended in a 2-0 beating - several months on from their explosive 2-2 Stamford Bridge draw - and one would pay a pretty penny for Pochettino's thoughts as he attempts to avoid leading the Blues to their 16th Premier League loss of 2023 at his former headquarters.
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Tottenham boss Postecoglou could be facing a quandary at left-back for Monday's capital showdown, as Destiny Udogie sat out the win over Palace with the knock he sustained against Fulham, while his replacement - Ben Davies - came off at half time with a blow to the ankle.
Postecoglou has conceded that Davies is unlikely to make the cut, but Udogie is at least progressing in his recovery and is in with a fighting chance of being involved; Emerson Royal should fill in as a makeshift left-back if neither man passes their late fitness tests.
Ivan Perisic (knee), Manor Solomon (knee), Alfie Whiteman (ankle) and Ryan Sessegnon (hamstring) remain on the treatment table as they recuperate from surgery, and Postecoglou also has a key decision to make in attack, as Brennan Johnson set up Son's strike against Palace only two minutes after replacing Richarlison.
Pochettino and Postecoglou can empathise over left-back concerns, as Ben Chilwell will spend a few more weeks recuperating from a thigh concern, while Romeo Lavia (ankle), Wesley Fofana (knee), Christopher Nkunku (knee), Trevoh Chalobah (thigh) and Carney Chukwuemeka (knee) will miss out too.
However, there is hope that Mykhaylo Mudryk will shake off his minor affliction in time to be involved, although Pochettino has conceded that Armando Broja (knee) should only make the bench at best, despite having a few days' worth of training under his belt.
The Blues head coach has also urged caution over Reece James, who was able to complete 61 minutes of the win over Blackburn, so Axel Disasi could potentially be deployed at right-back as Badiashile holds his central spot alongside the returning Thiago Silva.
Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:
Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Sarr, Bissouma; Kulusevski, Maddison, Johnson; Son
Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Sanchez; Disasi, Silva, Badiashile, Colwill; Fernandez, Caicedo, Gallagher; Palmer, Jackson, Sterling
We say: Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Chelsea
Some fans' scripts may be written for Pochettino to end Tottenham's unbeaten run on Monday night, but with the Lilywhites sweeping aside almost every foe in their wake, Postecoglou should throw those screenplays into the shredder.
The North London giants can normally be relied upon to make the net bulge more than once on home soil, and Postecoglou's side will also have a few points to prove against their former head coach, whose Lilywhites reunion will likely turn out to be a miserable one.
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