The 2025/26 Premier League season resumes this weekend with Gameweek 10. The latest round of fixtures starts with five simultaneous matches before continuing with Tottenham Hotspur vs Chelsea at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Thomas Frank has turned things around at Tottenham Hotspur, even though his charges have endured a topsy-turvy ride since the international break, winning only one of their four outings. The latest setback came against Newcastle United in the EFL Cup, with a 2-0 defeat sending them out in the fourth round.
However, decent results in the Premier League have taken the Lilywhites to third in the standings. On the other hand, Chelsea’s fortunes have plummeted since the first international break of the 2025/26 season, leading to hard questions about what the campaign will entail for Enzo Maresca and his charges.
While the Blues regained form with a four-game winning run, they have not been convincing enough in most outings, including the 4-3 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers in the EFL Cup fourth round. Meanwhile, the 2-1 loss to Sunderland last weekend dropped the West London club to ninth in the Premier League standings.
The corresponding fixture last season saw Chelsea come from two goals down to beat Chelsea 4-3, with Enzo Fernandez scoring the match-winning goal. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Thomas Frank has received positive updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Tottenham Hotspur manager will be bereft of the services of seven first-team players vs Chelsea on Saturday.
Cristian Romero (groin), Destiny Udogie (knee), and Wilson Odobert (abdominal) are fit and available to take on Chelsea. However, Ben Davies (thigh), Radu Dragusin (knee), Archie Gray (calf), Kota Takai (ankle), Yves Bissouma (ankle), James Maddison (knee), Dominic Solanke (ankle), and Dejan Kulusevski (knee) remain in the treatment room.
Guglielmo Vicario is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Tottenham Hotspur lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Chelsea on Saturday. The backline will feature Pedro Porro, Djed Spence, Micky van de Ven, and the fit-again Cristian Romero.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Rodrigo Bentancur and Joao Palhinha in the double pivot, with Lucas Bergvall reprising the no. 10 role. However, the latter will drop into deeper positions during the defensive phases to create overloads in the middle of the park.
Finally, Randal Kolo Muani will lead the line for Tottenham against Chelsea, with Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons being the two wide attackers. So, Richarlison, Brennan Johnson, and Wilson Odobert will be backup options on the bench for the home side.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Vicario; Porro, Romero, van de Ven, Spence; Bentancur, Palhinha; Kudus, Bergvall, Simons; Kolo Muani
Unlike his counterpart in the Tottenham Hotspur dugout, Enzo Maresca has a new issue to worry about ahead of the trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Chelsea manager will be without half a dozen first-team players on Saturday.
Liam Delap is the latest absentee after being sent off against Wolverhampton Wanderers earlier this week in the EFL Cup fourth round. The dismissal has garnered criticism from Maresca, and the English striker will be unavailable this weekend.
Mykhailo Mudryk is the other player serving a suspension after failing a doping test several months ago. Meanwhile, Benoit Badiashile (muscle), Levi Colwill (knee), Dario Essugo (thigh), and Cole Palmer (groin) remain in the treatment room.
Robert Sanchez will replace Filip Jorgensen between the sticks, with Chelsea lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday. The backline will feature Reece James, Wesley Fofana, Trevoh Chalobah, and Marc Cucurella.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo in the double pivot, with Andrey Santos reprising the no. 10 role. Finally, Joao Pedro will spearhead the Chelsea attack against Tottenham, with Estevao Willian and Pedro Neto being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; James, Fofana, Chalobah, Cucurella; Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez; Estevao, Santos, Neto; Joao Pedro
While Randal Kolo Muani, Joao Pedro, and Alejandro Garnacho were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Micky van de Ven as the Player to Watch for Saturday’s Premier League clash between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The Dutchman has been exceptional since arriving from VfL Wolfsburg, and he has been hot off the blocks this term, adding to his game by becoming a set-piece threat. He netted twice against Everton last weekend, becoming the first Tottenham defender to score twice in a Premier League game since Jan Vertonghen in March 2013 against Liverpool.
Meanwhile, van de Ven’s next appearance will be his 50th in the Premier League, with Tottenham averaging 1.7 points per game in matches that feature him compared to only 1.11 without him since the start of 2023/24. So, Thomas Frank will hope that tally improves further this weekend against Chelsea.
Saturday’s London derby features teams that appear on opposite ends of the form spectrum despite their standings in the Premier League. The hosts have won only two of their last six games, while the visitors have lost just once in the same period. However, Tottenham being third and Chelsea being ninth on the table signifies how both teams have been playing in the last few weeks.
Meanwhile, as iterated earlier, Thomas Frank has a solid record against Chelsea, although he has yet to clinch a home win over the West London outfit. That duck may end this weekend, as the Blues have struggled against defensively resolute teams.
While there may not be much to separate the two sides for most of Saturday’s derby at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the home side will have enough quality to eke out three points. Cole Palmer’s absence will also hurt Chelsea, and The Hard Tackle predicts a hard-fought 2-1 win for Frank and his charges.
