Key events
1 min: Peeeeeeep!
The players are out, hands have been shaken and preambles completed. Spurs are going to kick off, and they’re going to do it soon.
The players are in the tunnel! And over in Bournemouth, Manchester City are in arrears! As things stand, if no further goals are scored tonight, Arsenal will win the league and West Ham will be (all but) relegated.
Joao Pedro has just been presented with his Chelsea player of the season award, which is a remarkably understated thing, a similar size and shape to the standard Premier League player of the match awards and not at all of the ostentatious magnificence that I’d expect for such a thing.
Calum McFarlane has a quick chat with Sky. He’s not in very chatty mood. On tonight’s team changes, he says that “we had a big game on Saturday, so there’s a few lads carrying some knocks. We needed to freshen up the squad.” And on whether Xabi Alonso has been in touch with any requests or instructions: “No. It’s been the same prep for the last three games. Nothing different there.”
Roberto De Zerbi has a pre-match chat:
The message is to play with order [I think Order is what he said]. To fight on the pitch but to enjoy on the ball, because my players are good and they have to play like they can.
Is the Alonso factor going to make a difference tonight?
For us, nothing changes. He’s a great coach, but it’s not my club. For us the focus is to play well, to play a good game. We are suffering this season. It’s not finished yet, because it’s still tough. But I’m positive for my players.
And on why Antonin Kinsky remains in goal despite the return of Guglielmo Vicario:
Vicario is still No1. Kinsky has played very very well the last two games and for this game I didn’t want to take risks. And Vicario, he’s available but he’s not 100%. We found the best decision for the team.
In the chat about Alonso that follows, Daniel Sturridge says of that interview: “You could see Cole Palmer was buoyant, can’t wait to play for him.” You could only just tell that Palmer was conscious.
A couple of players have quick chats with Sky. First, Tottenham’s Destiny Udogie:
We know today’s a massive game for us. We can end the season the right way. It’s a London derby, so we want to make sure we’re ready for the game. We’re prepared for everything, hopefully it’s going to be a good game.
It’s fair to say that Cole Palmer could have looked more interested in being interviewed about the potential impact of Xabi Alonso’s imminent arrival:
Yeah, everyone’s excited. He’s a top manager, so we can’t wait to get started. We shouldn’t need the motivation, but we are going to want to impress the new manager.
Tonight’s other Premier League game sees Manchester City visit Bournemouth in the knowledge that anything but victory would hand the title to Arsenal. Rob Smyth is watching that one, which kicks off at 7.30pm, 45 minutes before this:
The teams!
Tonight’s lineups, with Tottenham unchanged. Chelsea make four changes to the side that started the FA Cup final:
Chelsea: Sanchez; Fofana, Acheampong, Hato, Cucurella; Andrey Santos, Caicedo; Palmer, Fernandez, Pedro Neto; Delap. Subs: Essugo, Chalobah, Derry, Garnacho, James, Jorgensen, Kavuma-MccQueen, Mheuka, Sarr.
Tottenham: Kinsky; Porro, Danso, Van de Ven, Udogie; Palhinha, Bentancur; Kolo Muani, Gallagher, Tel; Richarlison. Subs: Bergvall, Bissouma, Dragusin, Gray, Maddison, Sarr, Spence, Vicario, Souza.
Referee: Stuart Attwell.
VAR: John Brooks.
Southampton kicked out of Championship playoffs
Just the most extraordinary thing, this. An entire season, in the bin. Southampton admitted spying not just on Middlesbrough before their playoff semi-final, but Oxford last December (before their Boxing Day fixture, which Oxford won 2-1) and Ipswich in April (before a game that ended 2-2). One might conclude, though obviously it would be pure speculation, that if they did it three times they may have done it more often than that. Anyway, they’re out of the playoff final, and will start next season on -4 points.
Here’s our story on the punishment, which will be updated as the details become clearer:
Hello world!
A huge game, this, for at least three clubs, and probably biggest of all for the one that isn’t playing.
If Tottenham win tonight, West Ham will be relegated. If Tottenham draw tonight, West Ham will also be relegated – but not until Sunday (because it wouldn’t be mathematically certain this evening, there still being a chance that Spurs will lose their last game by six goals while West Ham win theirs by seven and stay up on goals scored). If Tottenham lose the whole business will roll through to the weekend, and if they lose by lots things really get interesting down towards the bottom of the table.
Chelsea though are significantly incentivised. Having missed the chance to secure a place in Europe by winning the FA Cup, they go into the game in 10th place, currently outside the qualifying spots. But if they win tonight they’d move into eighth, above Brentford on goal difference, and be back on track for at least a place in the Conference League. They could then make sure of a place in the Europa League by winning at Sunderland on the final day, so long as (deep breath) Brighton don’t simultaneously beat Manchester United, unless Bournemouth – who host Manchester City in tonight’s earlier kick-off – don’t get any more points, and so long as assuming Brentford fail to beat Liverpool so convincingly they go back above them on goal difference. This is, to be sure, all a bit complicated but the simple version is this: Chelsea really need to win this game, and so do Spurs.
Add the fact that Chelsea’s recent home record is appalling – they’re one bad night away from losing five successive league games at Stamford Bridge for the first time ever – and the fact that their record against Tottenham (who have won one of their last 35 league games here) is extraordinary, and you’ve got all the ingredients for an intriguing evening.
Pre-match reading: Here’s David Hytner on Spurs and Roberto De Zerbi, who thinks “everyone wants Tottenham relegated”:
De Zerbi has spoken to his squad about the Stamford Bridge hoodoo but mainly to tell them it is not something to worry about. He has been all about the power of positive thought since he came to the club five matches ago and he leaned into it when he addressed those who would revel in Spurs’s demise.
“I am Italian and in Italy it’s the same,” De Zerbi said. “For the biggest teams, it’s the same. We have to accept the pressure. We have to enjoy this pressure. We have to find new motivation from this pressure. It’s a good thing for us. If everyone wants Tottenham relegated, it’s a big motivation for me and I hope for my players as well.”
Much more here:
