Chelsea vs Tottenham preview: Maddison a doubt as De Zerbi weighs risks

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Chelsea host Tottenham Hotspur in Matchweek 8 of the Premier League at Stamford Bridge on Saturday 24 October 2026. Kick-off is at 5.30pm and the referee is Chris Kavanagh.

Chelsea are fourth with 13 points from seven games (won four, drawn one, lost two), with 17 goals scored and 13 conceded. Tottenham are 16th with six points from seven (won one, drawn three, lost three), with six scored and 10 conceded. The sides are seven points apart.

Recent form

Chelsea have won three, drawn one and lost two of their last six matches, scoring 16 goals and conceding 11. They lost 1-2 at Arsenal, beat Leeds 6-3, drew 2-2 with Hull City, lost 0-3 at Brentford, beat Bournemouth 5-1 and won 2-0 at Everton last time out. In their last five league matches they have won two, drawn one and lost two.

Tottenham have won one, drawn three and lost two of their last six, scoring seven and conceding eight. They drew 0-0 at Nottingham Forest, drew 0-0 with Everton, lost 1-3 at Liverpool, lost 2-3 to Aston Villa, drew 1-1 at Manchester United and beat Coventry City 3-1 in their most recent match. In their last five league matches they have won one, drawn three and lost one.

Team	Last six (oldest first)
Chelsea	LWDLWW LWDLWW
Tottenham	DDLLDW DDLLDW

Chelsea: last six results

Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result
Sat 17 Oct	Away	Everton	2-0	W
Sat 10 Oct	Home	Bournemouth	5-1	W
Fri 18 Sep	Away	Brentford	0-3	L
Sat 12 Sep	Home	Hull City	2-2	D
Wed 9 Sep	Home	Leeds	6-3	W
Sun 6 Sep	Away	Arsenal	1-2	L

Tottenham: last six results

Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result
Mon 19 Oct	Home	Coventry City	3-1	W
Sat 10 Oct	Away	Man Utd	1-1	D
Sat 19 Sep	Home	Aston Villa	2-3	L
Tue 15 Sep	Away	Liverpool	1-3	L
Sat 12 Sep	Home	Everton	0-0	D
Sat 5 Sep	Away	Nottingham Forest	0-0	D

What the managers said

Xabi Alonso

The Chelsea head coach gave updates on his squad and spoke about the occasion. On Malo Gusto and Pep Chavarria, he said:

“Malo is fine. Pep is training a little bit more, but he is not going to make it.”

On goalkeeper Emi Martinez, who is out for a few weeks after jaw surgery, Alonso said:

“He had the surgery and day by day he is feeling better, but we still need to wait. A few weeks. Hopefully, less than more, but we need to wait.”

Alonso also spoke about Mike Penders, whose name came up when he discussed comparisons with another goalkeeper:

“A lot of similarities. Not just the nationality, but the stature. I spoke with Thibaut as well at the World Cup. He said himself he could see resemblances with Mike.”

On the nature of the fixture, he said:

“Every derby is special.”

“You feel the energy, the excitement from the stands. We need that energy to be used on the pitch.”

Roberto De Zerbi

The Tottenham head coach ran through his available players and addressed the doubts over Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski. On the squad, he said:

“Pedro is back, Robertson is available, Marmoush is good, Solanke is good. Lucas Bergvall, Savio, nothing more I think… Bentancur.”

On Maddison, De Zerbi said:

“I don’t know, because in the first three days Maddison didn’t work with us, I don’t know if he’s ready for tomorrow.”

On Kulusevski, he said:

“Kulusevski worked well, but in the first days he stayed individual.”

On his approach to fitness, De Zerbi said:

“Like I said many times, I don’t want to take risks, because if you analyse this period of European football, you can see many injuries, not for Tottenham, for everyone. So if I can, I don’t want to take risks to lose many players for many games.”

Asked about the opposition, he said:

“Yes, it’s a derby against one very good team, very good coach, they have a clear style of play, great players, but also Tottenham players are very good.”

On the club’s record in the fixture, he said:

“I think it’s not just this negative record. There are many, many negative records, but for me it’s one motivation more.”

Team news

Chelsea’s Malo Gusto is fine and in contention after missing the Everton game, while Pep Chavarria is training a little more but will not make this one. Emi Martinez is out for a few weeks after jaw surgery, so Mike Penders is the goalkeeper option, and Emmanuel Emegha will miss out. Jamie Gittens (ankle) and Reece James (knee surgery) are also on Chelsea’s absence list. For Tottenham, Pedro Porro is back, and Andrew Robertson, Omar Marmoush and Dominic Solanke are available. Destiny Udogie is not available, Lucas Bergvall and Savio are out, and James Maddison is a doubt after missing the first three days of training. Dejan Kulusevski’s readiness is uncertain after he stayed individual in the first days of the week. Wilson Odobert and Xavi Simons (both cruciate ligament tears) and Mykhaylo Mudryk (ankle) are also on Tottenham’s absence list.

Where Chelsea can hurt Tottenham

Analysis: Chelsea have scored 17 goals in seven league games, while Tottenham have scored six and conceded 10 in the same period. Tottenham conceded three goals in both of their defeats in their last six matches, at Liverpool and against Aston Villa.

Chelsea’s recent home games have produced goals: 6-3 against Leeds, 2-2 with Hull City and 5-1 against Bournemouth, 13 scored in three matches at Stamford Bridge. Tottenham also have doubts over James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski, and Destiny Udogie, Lucas Bergvall and Savio are unavailable.

Where Tottenham can hurt Chelsea

Analysis: Chelsea have conceded 13 goals in seven league games and have let in at least one in five of their last six matches. They lost 0-3 at Brentford and conceded three in the 6-3 win over Leeds.

Tottenham have scored in four of their last six matches, including 3-1 against Coventry City last time out, and have drawn three of their last five league games. Chelsea are without first-choice goalkeeper Emi Martinez, so Mike Penders is the goalkeeper option, and Reece James, Pep Chavarria and Emmanuel Emegha are also out.

How to watch

Chelsea vs Tottenham kicks off at 5.30pm UK time on Saturday 24 October, live on Sky Sports Premier League, Sky Sports Main Event, NOW. Subscribers can stream it on Sky Go, NOW.

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