Conte: Chelsea need consistency to win league

Spurs have not been behind on too many occasions this season and though came back from behind in the previous game, they will not be too comfortable chasing the game and if Costa can get an early goal, it might just help Chelsea pull the floodgates wide open.

“For this reason we have to know we will have a tough game against a strong team”.

When asked on his thoughts of last year’s meetings, Antonio Conte noted that the game was unusual.

Pochettino admitted in the spring that his Spurs side “didn’t set a good example” during a game of repeated flashpoints resulting in a ban for eye-gouging for midfielder Mousa Dembele. It was the sort of contest Chelsea would probably have lost – or at least drawn – last season.

“It’s a different era and we need accept that and control everything”. Still, he’s managed four in three games since returning, albeit three of them being penalties. Conte could in fact name the same starting eleven for the sixth match in a row.

Chelsea striker Costa has returned to top form this season after an indifferent campaign in 2015/16. Still, Spurs remain the only unbeaten side in the league, and in fifth are just four points behind Chelsea going into this one. They will be Tottenham’s greatest threat this weekend, although Victor Moses and Pedro have also been very risky.

The Chelsea star will, however, fall short of two matching two of the finest widemen the Premier League has ever seen, with Robert Pires taking just 137 fixtures to bag himself a half-century and Cristiano Ronaldo 147.

Some expected another hostile encounter today, and evidence that this particular rivalry has become more hostile, but there were few flashpoints and only three yellow cards in total.

Out of contract at Stamford Bridge next summer, Mikel released a statement earlier this month to claim that comments attributed to Super Eagles technical director Gernot Rohr that appeared to accuse Chelsea of punishing him for playing in Rio de Janeiro had been taken out of context. Spurs must also overcome a awful record at Stamford Bridge – they haven’t won there 1990.

Things were to get worse before they got better for the hosts, though, with supporters growing restless at their wing-backs’ inability to get out of their own final third; Spurs always seemingly had a man spare as they exposed Chelsea’s previously-perfect 3-4-3 setup.

Tottenham were knocked out of the Champions League on Tuesday after losing 2-1 at Group E rivals Monaco.

Tottenham were missing both of their usual left-backs, with Danny Rose suspended and Ben Davies injured. Pochettino is also sweating on the fitness of Toby Alderweireld and Erik Lamela ahead of the derby. The current run of 26 consecutive league games without a victory at Chelsea is the longest non-winning away run of consecutive games by one team at another team in the English top division.