Antonio Conte confirms 2 Tottenham stars will miss crucial Premier League clash against Chelsea

Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has said that centre-back Clement Lenglet and midfielder Oliver Skipp will miss the club's trip to Chelsea on Sunday, August 14.

Tottenham opened their 2022-23 Premier League season with a 4-1 win over Southampton on their own turf on August 6. Ryan Sessegnon, Eric Dier and Dejan Kulusevski got on the scoresheet with Mohammed Salisu turning the ball into his own net in the second-half.

Ahead of their fixture against their city rivals at Stamford Bridge, Conte shed light on his team selection. When asked about injuries in his squad, he told reporters (via Football.London):

"About injuries, a little problem with Clement Lenglet. I don't think he's available for the game against Chelsea. He had a little problem. Skipp, I think a couple of weeks."

He continued:

"[With Lenglet] a little problem of fatigue. He's a bit tired in his abductor, in the muscle. Nothing serious but only precaution, but not good to take a stupid risk. He's had a training session apart, but I think that will be good for him."

During the 2021-22 season, Spurs failed to register a single win against Chelsea in four attempts.

After losing 3-0 at home in September last year, the club fell to a 2-0 away defeat. Conte's side also failed to triumph over the Blues in the League Cup semi-final, losing 2-0 and 1-0 in two legs.

When asked about his squad after the summer transfer spree, he said:

"I'm very happy with our squad because compared to last season we improved, with Richarlison but we lost [Steven] Bergwijn. [Bryan] Gil went on loan but now he's in the squad of 20 players. I think in midfield we improved with [Yves] Bissouma and with [Harry] Winks, and then with Lenglet behind."

He added:

"We signed players with common sense, to find players with right characteristics, to help us have the quality. To have reliable players, players ready to have a good impact."

So far, the north London outfit have roped in six players. They have signed forward Richarlison from Everton, midfielder Yves Bissouma from Brighton & Hove Albion and right-back Djed Spence from EFL Championship outfit Middlesbrough.

They have also signed wing-back Ivan Perisic and goalkeeper Fraser Forster on free transfers, while Lenglet joined on a season-long loan from Barcelona.

As per transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Tottenham are also set to sign full-back Destiny Udogie from Udinese. However, the youngster will return to the Italian side on loan for this season.

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Paul Merson predicts Tottenham Hotspur's Sunday clash against Chelsea

In his column for Sportskeeda, former Arsenal player Paul Merson provided his predictions for the Premier League's second round of fixtures this season.

Making his prediction for the London derby, he wrote:

"Tottenham will want to make a statement. A victory against Chelsea would turn heads, even if it's only the second game of the season. If they lose after buying all those players, however, you'll hear talk of how they still haven't caught up with the Premier League's big boys."

Prediction: Chelsea 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur