Chelsea will take on Tottenham Hotspur in the final Premier League game on Saturday. Spurs will be eyeing their first win at Stamford Bridge in 26 years while Chelsea will do their best to extend their unbeaten run.
The London clubs had a heated match last season. The game ended in a 2-2 draw, and that also ended the title hopes for the Spurs. Despite going into the break with a 2-0 win over the hosts, Tottenham could not seal the game in the 2nd half. Then-Chelsea manager, Guss Hiddink brought on Eden Hazard at half-time, and that turned the tables.
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Mark Clattenburg, who was officiating the match, lashed out 12 yellow cards as scenes turned ugly when Chelsea equalised late in the 2nd half. The Blues had taken complete control of the game and with Spurs desperately needing a win, jumped in and made some crunching challenges. Things got worse after the full-time whistle as Hiddink was brought down on the floor by Danny Rose, who admitted later on that the Tottenham players cried in the dressing room.
With all that fresh in the minds of the players, this weekend's fixture is set to be fiercely contested and should be a cracker of a match!
Chelsea play with a 3-4-3 formation while Tottenham go with a 4-2-3-1. To bring the best out of the two clubs combined, the formation I'm going with is 4-4-2. Here's the combined XI of the two teams:
Goalkeeper: Hugo Lloris
The toughest choice that was to be made in the combined XI. In his last 6 Premier League matches, Courtois has kept a clean sheet but looking at it as a whole, it was all down to the Chelsea defence. The Chelsea keeper has had to make just a couple of saves in all the 6 matches, and that's why Hugo Lloris got selected in front of him.
Lloris has been in fine form for the last one year and has been one of the main reasons why Tottenham finished 3rd last season. This season too, he's managed to keep 4 clean sheets and many match-winning saves.
Spurs' keeper has made more saves this season than his Chelsea counterpart and has a better distribution success rate. Moreover, the French International has also managed more passes and fewer errors leading to goals when compared to the Belgian goalkeeper between Chelsea's posts.
Right Back: Kyle Walker
Tottenham's leading man in defence has to be Kyle Walker. The Englishman has got the pace, crossing ability and shooting to make him one of the best right-backs in the Premier League. He can easily be named in the Top 3 right-backs right now.
Walker has used his pace well to make some stunning interceptions this season but fails to adapt when he's given a new role. The North London Derby is the best example. He was asked to play in the right wing-back role by Pochettino, but he failed miserably before he got injured. Hence the reason why he's picked at the right-back position itself.
Center Backs: Gary Cahill & Jan Vertonghen
Picking Gary Cahill ahead of David Luiz might be a bit controversial, but the formation of 4-4-2 is something that would suit the Englishman more than the Brazilian. Luiz was awful when Conte used to play 4-2-4 while Cahill was relatively better. The former Bolton man has got a lot of heat for his performances over the last one year but has proved everyone wrong with his consistent performances in the league lately.
He's playing as a left centre-back in Conte's new formation, and that seems to suit him well. He's made the role his own and has managed to keep John Terry and Branislav Ivanovic out of the team.
Danny Rose is suspended for the game, having picked up his fifth yellow card against West Ham. Vertonghen will most likely be featuring on the left, but for the purposes of this article, we have picked him as a centre-back, thanks to the Belgian's versatility .
The centre-back has played quite well so far, partnering with Toby Alderweireld in the centre. Their partnership made sure that they conceded the least number of goals last season. With 6 wins and 6 draws, he's been the part of a setup that hasn't lost a league game so far this season.
The Belgian centre-back was left out of the squad that faced Monaco in the Champions League, as the London club unceremoniously exited the tournament. The Spurs will be looking towards his leadership skills at the back if they hope to pick up all three points in the coming fixture.
Left Back: Cesar Azpilicueta
Calling him 'Premier League’s most consistent defender' would actually be an understatement. He's been brilliant for Chelsea ever since he moved from Marseille and has been on top of his game every single time.
His defensive qualities are hard to find in any other defender right now, and it's his confidence on and off the ball that's making him so good. The Spaniard is now being played as the right centre-back by Conte, and he's switched well.
Right Wing: Christian Eriksen
Eyebrows were raised when Eriksen signed for Tottenham from Ajax. He's probably the only player bought with the 'Gareth Bale money' who has proved his worth. The midfielder has been on and off regards to form but has always stepped up his game whenever his team needs him the most.
With 3 assists, this has been an average season for the midfielder, but he's been a great player off the ball. The Danish International has been vital in Tottenham's dominance in the midfield.
Central Midfield: N'Golo Kante and Nemanja Matic
Rock solid. That's the most simple way to put it. The duo has been on top of their game ever since the formation changed. Conte ditched Fabregas and Oscar to bring in Matic to partner Kante, and it has worked wonders.
The Serbian had a terrible star to the season but has finally found his feet. He's now joint seconds in the assists table with 5. Only Kevin de Bruyne has more than him this season. Kante has begun this season exactly where he left it last time. He's here, there, everywhere for Chelsea and the opponents are finding it tough to get past him.
To add to his impressive performance, he's even got a sublime goal to his list, that too against Manchester United.
Left Wing: Eden Hazard
Best player in the Premier League this season without a doubt. He's back in form and is ripping the opponent's defence apart. He's put last season's misery aside and is loving his new role under Antonio Conte.
The 'October player of the month' award winner has seven goals under his belt already and is the 3rd highest goal scorer in the league so far. He scored the goal that ended Tottenham's title chances and will be in for a tough match.
Strikers: Diego Costa and Harry Kane
Diego Costa is rejuvenated and composed like never before. He's learned how to keep his cool (except for the Arsenal game) and has also started to score a lot more. The striker who was signed by Jose Mourinho from Atletico Madrid is finally showing the signs of who he was at the Spanish club and also glimpses of the performances he gave in his first season at Chelsea.
He has found the back of the net 10 times already this season and is the top scorer in the league. He has also got 3 assists and is in the form of his life. Costa and Hazard are linking up so well this season that they are just easing past the oppositions like they are just working on the training ground with dummies.
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Moving on to the 2nd striker, Harry Kane is back in action for Tottenham. The golden boot winner for the 2015/16 season was out injured last month but made his comeback in the North London Derby and helped Spurs secure a point against their arch-rivals, Arsenal.
He has scored 4 goals in 3 matches this month and is red hot form. Chelsea have not conceded for the last 6 games and with Harry Kane finding the back of the net at his will, it will be very interesting to see how things work out on Saturday night.
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