Chelsea picked up their first win under new manager Thomas Tuchel, beating Burnley 2-0 in the Premier League during the weekend. And now, Tuchel faces his first major test in England as the Blues face Spurs away from home on Thursday.
The Blues have been poor away from home, losing four of their last five away league matches but right now, Spurs’ confidence is dented after that shock 1-0 loss to Brighton at the AMEX Stadium on Sunday.
Chelsea are undefeated in their last 7 matches against Tottenham in all competitions and Thomas Tuchel has a fully fit squad to name his starting XI from.
This will undoubtedly be a double-edged sword for the new boss as on one hand, Tuchel can name his strongest line-up on Thursday but at the same time, the manager will have very little excuse if his side slump to a defeat.
Chelsea team news vs Tottenham Hotspur:
Tuchel used a three-man backline against Burnley and he might use the same ploy at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as well.
If the boss uses a 3-4-2-1 formation then Azpilicueta will keep his place from the weekend alongside Rudiger and Thiago Silva.
Marcos Alonso was one of the stars of the show for Chelsea against Burnley and his performance against Sean Dyche’s side should be enough to hand him yet another start under his new manager. If Alonso starts then Ben Chilwell will once again miss out.
Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic have some pretty well in central midfield but now with Kante back to full fitness, it will be interesting to see if Thomas Tuchel uses the Frenchman on Thursday.
View this post on Instagram
Hudson-Odoi has made a fine impression on his new manager and the academy graduate is a guaranteed starter against Tottenham Hotspur in midweek.
Mason Mount could move to the bench against Mourinho’s side, making way for Kai Havertz but if Thomas Tuchel is selecting his side purely on form then the German will unfortunately, miss out.
Timo Werner is likely to keep his place in the side but Tammy Abraham could drop to the bench if Tuchel needs a proper target man up front. Olivier Giroud is great at holding the ball and if the new Chelsea boss is looking for physicality then the Frenchman will start.
Christian Pulisic will be itching to get a start under his former Dortmund boss but the American could once again start on the bench and maybe come on as a second-half substitute.
Stats via Whoscored.com.
