Opposition watch | Chelsea

It will be all eyes on Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Monday evening as Chelsea, led by Mauricio Pochettino, arrive in N17 for what is always an electric derby under the lights. Here's a closer look at the men from Stamford Bridge...

Form

It's fair to say Chelsea have been a bit hit and miss so far this season, illustrated when a recent upturn in results - four unbeaten, including a 2-2 draw against Arsenal when they performed so well to lead 2-0 - was ended by a 2-0 home loss against Brentford. The issue has been turning good play and chances into goals - Chelsea had 17 efforts against Brentford, but only two on target. They recovered from that loss to beat Blackburn in midweek to reach the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup.

Players to watch

Snapped up from Manchester City in the summer, playmaker Cole Palmer has caught the eye of late and was on target against Burnley and Arsenal. Robert Sanchez is an ever-present in goal after joining from Brighton. Flying full-back Reece James played an hour on his first start since suffering a hamstring injury the opening weekend of the season in the midweek win against Blackburn. Raheem Sterling was on target in that win, taking his tally to four in 12 for the season. Conor Gallagher has started all 10 matches in the Premier League as has centre-back Thiago Silva, still going strong at 39.

Manager - Mauricio Pochettino

Needs no introduction, Mauricio moved from Newell's Old Boys in Argentina to Espanyol in Spain in 1994, spending the next seven years in La Liga, before a switch to France and spells at PSG and Bordeaux. He then returned to end his playing career at Espanyol and then took over at the Barcelona-based club in 2006. Mauricio moved to the Premier League and Southampton in 2013 before joining us in 2014, overseeing our best seasons in the Premier League in 2015/16, 2016/17 and 2017/18 and a return to Champions League football, the pinnacle reaching the Champions League Final in 2019 after dramatic knockout success over Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City and Ajax. Returned to PSG in 2021, winning Ligue 1 in 2021/22 and appointed by Chelsea in May.

Last time we met

A moment to remember in February as Oliver Skipp scored a stunning first-ever goal for Spurs to set us on the way a 2-0 victory at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Academy graduate and boyhood Spurs fan produced a moment of magic seconds after the interval to open the scoring before Harry Kane wrapped up the Premier League points with a close-range finish eight minutes from time.

How to follow

Monday night's clash will be televised live by Sky Sports with live radio commentary on TalkSport. You can also listen to BBC Radio London's commentary via our Match Centre here on tottenhamhotspur.com and the Spurs Official app, where you’ll also find minute-by-minute text, goal alerts, stats and much more. Video highlights will be available on SPURSPLAY, with the full 90 minutes available to watch on demand from midnight. Also, look out for our Review Show with post-match reaction and analysis from presenter Ben Haines and pundit, legendary former striker Clive Allen, on SPURSPLAY and YouTube. Worldwide broadcast listings are available via the link on this page...