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2022/23 English Premier League
Matchday 25
Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
London, England
Sunday, 26 February 2023
Kick-off is at 14h30
Tottenham will be seeking their fourth
Premier League win in five games when neighbours Chelsea make the short trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, February 26.
Spurs bounced back from a disappointing 4-1 defeat at Leicester by beating West Ham 2-0 last Sunday in another London derby to climb back into the top four.
Antonio Conte's side had recorded back-to-back 1-0 wins over Fulham and Manchester City prior to their setback at the King Power Stadium on February 11.
The north Londoners trail Manchester United (3rd) by seven points and are another five adrift of fierce rivals Arsenal, who reclaimed top spot with a 4-2 victory at Aston Villa.
Newcastle slipped to fifth position after going down 2-0 to Liverpool, which was their fourth match without a win.
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The Blues' form has also been patchy of late, with a shock 1-0 loss at home to rock-bottom Southampton extending their winless run to four games.
In fact, Graham Potter's team have registered just two victories in outings since the domestic season resumed in December after the World Cup break.
That poor sequence of results has left the west London outfit down in 10th spot and they are in danger of falling further behind Brentford (9th), Liverpool (8th) and Brighton (7th), who are all tied on 35 points.
Chelsea trail the trio by four points and find themselves just three clear of Aston Villa (11th), while Crystal Palace (12th), Nottingham Forest (13th) and Leicester (14th) are all within touching distance of the top 10.
The Blues have struggled for goals this term, managing just 23 in their 23 games. Kai Havertz is their top scorer with a mere five goals and he hasn't found the back of the net in his last four appearances. New signing Joao Felix got off the mark against the Hammers and Potter will be hoping the Portugal international can solve their problems in attack.
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Harry Kane continues to dazzle for Spurs, having bagged 17 goals from only 23 league games to equal his tally of last term. The 29-year-old striker recently became the club's all-time leading scorer as he surpassed the great Jimmy Greaves with his 267th goal.
In team news, Yves Bissouma (ankle), Hugo Lloris (knee), Ryan Sessegnon (thigh) and Rodrigo Bentancur (knee ligaments) are sidelined for the hosts, while Potter must do without numerous first-team regulars in Armando Broja, Christian Pulisic (both knee), N'Golo Kante (thigh), Cesar Azpilicueta (head) and Edouard Mendy (wrist).
Conte's assistant, Cristian Stellini spoke about the important role the wing-backs play in the team as they allow the likes of Dejan Kulusevski and Son Heung-Min more freedom to roam.
"To play wing-back to wing-back and to score is one of our targets, one of our requests for the team," Stellini told SPURSPLAY.
"Also, using the wing-backs to come inside and create the space for players like Deki [Kulusevski] and Sonny, to affect the space and play.
"Now we have to continue to be consistent in our performances because we've reached fourth place and, to stay, we know very well we have to perform like today."
Potter acknowledges he is going through a difficult patch as he looks to cope with a growing injury list, while also attempting to integrate the new players into the squad.
"This is the world we're in. There is a transition and factors [to our results], but at the same time it is a motion, and the team is losing so you can understand," he said.
"I am not stupid or naive, my job is to keep going and help the team through this tough period.
"We are managing quite an unprecedented injury list, so you have to manage that also in the Premier League. All these things are true but unfortunately when you lose, it is not what people want to hear."
Head-to-Head (Last Five Premier League Meetings)
Matches - 5
Tottenham - 0
Chelsea - 3
Draws - 2
Premier League fixtures - matchday 25:
Friday, February 24
21h00: Fulham v Wolverhampton Wanderers
Saturday, February 25
16h00: Everton v Aston Villa
16h00: Leeds United v Southampton
16h00: Leicester City v Arsenal
16h00: West Ham United v Nottingham Forest
18h30: Bournemouth v Manchester City
20h45: Crystal Palace v Liverpool
Sunday, February 26
14h30: Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea
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