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Tottenham vs Chelsea: First-ever face-off between Mourinho & Tuchel

Jose Mourinho of Tottenham, Thomas Tuchel of Chelsea
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Spurs have enjoyed being league leaders early in the campaign and so have the Blues, but both are in now the race for a top-four finish. 

A thrilling contest awaits in Premier League Gameweek 22 as Tottenham are set to play host to Chelsea on Thursday.

The reverse fixture, however, was not exactly thrilling as the game ended with a point apiece after a scoreless draw at Stamford Bridge back in November.

The London rivals sit next to each other and are hardly separated in the Premier League table. Both have picked up 33 points so far, each have nine wins and six draws. Spurs, who have a marginally better goal difference and have played a match fewer, are at seventh while the Blues hold a spot below at eight.

Let’s take a closer look at a game that could very well influence how the top-four looks at the end of the season:

Tottenham vs Chelsea Form:

Jose Mourinho’s side will not go into the match with their heads held too high, having suffered back-to-back defeats in the Premier League.

Brighton narrowly edged out against them after Liverpool had proved too hot to handle for Spurs, who lost 3-1 at home.

There are more worrying signs for the hosts as they have managed just two wins from their previous nine outings in the league and have failed to keep a clean sheet in each of their previous five fixtures across all competitions.

Mourinho might want to avoid matching his own undesirable record as anything less than three points on Thursday night and it would match his longest ever winless run against a single opponent. The former Real Madrid manager couldn’t win seven games against FC Barcelona between April 2011 and January 2012 and he has failed to beat his upcoming opponents in his last six attempts.

Thomas Tuchel was able to get his first win with his new side as Chelsea brushed aside Burnley 2-0 at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues have failed to win four of their last five league games, and the newly-appointed manager has been tasked with getting the team up and running again.

Tuchel recorded 0-0 and 2-0 wins in his first two games, and he could become their first manager since Mourinho to record a clean sheet in each of his first three Premier League matches.

Tottenham vs Chelsea Head-to-head:

72 of the total meetings between the two sides have resulted in a victory for Chelsea while 55 have been in favor of Tottenham. A stalemate has occurred 45 times.

Tottenham vs Chelsea Team News:

Harry Kane, who damaged both his ankle earlier and is expected to remain on the sidelines for another couple of weeks, will be a huge miss. A much-weakened home side would also be missing Dele Alli, Sergio Reguilon, and Giovani Lo Celso.

The visiting time have no fitness concerns, though Kurt Zouma and Kai Havertz are doubtful.

Predicted line-ups:

Tottenham vs Chelsea Latest Odds:

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