Image Source: Alamy Stock Photo
2024/25 English Premier League
Matchday 30
Chelsea v Tottenham Hotspur
Stamford Bridge
London, England
Thursday, 3 April 2025
Kick-off is at 21h00
Chelsea will be looking to ramp up the pressure on Ange Postecoglou when Tottenham visit Stamford Bridge in a London derby on Thursday, April 3.
Postecoglou appears to be a dead man walking after registering just 10 wins in 29 games this season which sees Spurs languishing down in 14th place, 10 points outside the top 10.
A 2-0 defeat to Fulham on March 16 extended the North Londoners' winless run in the league to three matches, with their last victory coming against Ipswich (4-1) on February 22.
Postecoglou's fate could hinge on the outcome of his team's Europa League quarter-final clash with Eintracht Frankfurt as failure to progress could force Daniel Levy's hand.
The Blues are in a fight for UEFA Champions League football as every team from 10th position upwards could potentially finish in the top four.
Enzo Maresca's side currently occupy the final berth after a 1-0 loss to Arsenal on March 16 allowed Manchester City to close within a point of them in fifth spot. Newcastle and Brighton are also very much in the mix as they sit a further point back in sixth and seventh place respectively.
Image Source: Alamy Stock Photo
Maresca has a few injuries to contend with, however, as Omari Kellyman, Marc Guiu (both thigh) and Mykhailo Mudryk (suspension) remain unavailable, while Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke (all thigh) are rated doubtful.
Postecoglou could be boosted by the return of Lucas Bergvall (illness), Dejan Kulusevski (ankle), Kevin Danso (thigh) and Richarlison (calf), but he must do without Radu Dragusin (knee).
Maresca believes the performance against the Gunners shows they are not far behind their city rivals and insists his team are heading in the right direction.
"What I can say about the first game against Arsenal and today's game, I don't see a big difference between us and them," the Italian stated.
"Since I arrived, I have the feeling we are in the right path, and we are very close. Probably we just need that step forward to compete in these kind of games, but that step comes also with finishing in a Champions League spot."
Postecoglou lamented another soft goal conceded as Spurs allowed the Cottagers to gain the upper hand after Rodrigo Muniz opened the scoring in the 78th minute.
"I get [the fans'] disappointment. It's unacceptable. Fifteen defeats [in the league] is nowhere near good enough, nowhere near the level we need to be. I understand the supporters' frustrations with that," he said.
"It was another day where we let a game get away from us that we shouldn't have. It's not like we've been blown off the park. Until the point they scored, I thought we were the team that was getting on top.
"We had a couple of really good chances to go 1-0 up which would have put the pressure on them. It's happened too many times this year. We just allow the opposition to give them a lift into the game by conceding soft goals. Today was another of those days."
Head-to-Head (Last Five Premier League Meetings)
Matches - 5
Chelsea wins - 3
Tottenham wins - 1
Draws - 1
Premier League Matchday 30 fixtures:
Tuesday, April 1
20h45: Arsenal v Fulham
20h45: Wolverhampton Wanderers v West Ham United
21h00: Nottingham Forest v Manchester United
Wednesday, April 2
20h45: Bournemouth v Ipswich Town
20h45: Brighton & Hove Albion v Aston Villa
20h45: Manchester City v Leicester City
20h45: Newcastle United v Brentford
20h45: Southampton v Crystal Palace
21h00: Liverpool v Everton
Thursday, April 3
21h00: Chelsea v Tottenham Hotspur
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