For Tottenham, the Europa League (where they’ve reached the quarterfinals) and securing a Champions League spot are their lifelines this season. Meanwhile, Chelsea is locked in a fierce battle for fourth place, hoping to return to Europe’s elite competition next season.The Blues are favorites to win the Conference League, but their main focus remains the Premier League. Their rivals for a Champions League berth include defending champions Manchester City, Newcastle, Aston Villa, and Brighton. Liverpool and Arsenal have pulled ahead, while Nottingham Forest is on the verge of a sensational third-place finish. However, with eight rounds remaining, nothing is set in stone.MATCHDAY 🙌🆚 Chelsea🏟️ Stamford Bridge🏆 Premier League⏰ 8pm BST pic.twitter.com/WQ6MFsWAMm— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) April 3, 2025 Tonight at Stamford Bridge (22.00), Chelsea hosts Tottenham in a crucial London derby. This match holds greater importance for the home side, while Spurs have their eyes on the Europa League. Enzo Maresca has dealt with squad issues all season. Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke have been sidelined for two months, but the Italian coach confirmed that both are fit for this derby. Cole Palmer, who was outstanding last season and in the first half of this one, has struggled recently—his dip in form coincided with Chelsea’s struggles in the early months of 2025. The creative midfielder also suffered an injury while playing for England in World Cup qualifiers but is expected to be ready for one of the key games of the season.”Cole is back, he’s doing well, better,” Maresca said, adding:”We had five or six incredible months, but then six or seven injuries threw us off rhythm. Now, the squad is in better shape for the season’s final stretch.”🔵🔙 Maresca: “Cole Palmer, Nico Jackson and Noni Madueke are all back and available this week”. pic.twitter.com/TpNka36ip8— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) April 2, 2025 Tottenham, on the other hand, will be without the injury-prone Richarlison, as well as Dejan Kulusevski and Kevin Danso. Romanian defender Radu Dragusin is also sidelined for the long term. Chelsea had built momentum with four consecutive wins before the international break but suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates. The Blues have played tight, low-scoring matches lately, with just one goal scored in each of their last three games.Spurs, meanwhile, have struggled to put together a winning streak, securing just one victory in their last five games. Before the break, they suffered a disappointing 2-0 loss to Fulham at Craven Cottage.After Arsenal, Spurs continue in Europe tooBack in December, these two teams played a thriller at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where Chelsea came out on top in a dramatic 4-3 victory. Spurs had raced to a 2-0 lead after just 11 minutes, but Chelsea stormed back, with Cole Palmer netting two penalties and Jadon Sancho and Enzo Fernandez also finding the net. Dominik Solanke, Dejan Kulusevski, and Son Heung-min scored late goals for Spurs in a chaotic ending.🎙️| Ange Postecoglou on whether Spurs might adapt a more defensive set up in an attempt to frustrate Chelsea:“Sorry to disappoint. We’ll go there and have a crack and see if it’ll be a good game and hopefully we’ll come out on top.” pic.twitter.com/utXGy6dX15— The Spurs Express (@TheSpursExpress) April 2, 2025 Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea has been much stronger at home, winning five straight and six of their last seven matches at Stamford Bridge. Tottenham, meanwhile, has not claimed three points in West London since April 1, 2018, when they won 3-1. Since then, Chelsea has dominated this fixture at home, winning six of the last eight meetings.PREMIER LEAGUE – MATCHDAY 30 TuesdayArsenal – Fulham 2-1 (1-0)/Merino 37, Saka 73 – Muniz 90+4/Wolverhampton – West Ham 1-0 (1-0)/Larsen 21/Nott. Forest – Manchester United 1-0 (1-0)/Elanga 5/WednesdayBournemouth – Ipswich 1-2 (0-1)/Evanilson 68 – Broadhead 34, Delap 60/Brighton – Aston Villa 0-3 (0-0)/Rashford 51, Asensio 78, Malen 90+10/Man.City – Leicester 2-0 (2-0)/Grealish 2, Marmoush 29/Newcastle – Brentford 2-1 (1-0)/Isak 45+2, Tonali 74 – Mbeumo 64 pen/Southampton – Crystal Palace 1-1 (1-0)/Onuachu 20 – Matheus Franca 90+2/Liverpool – Everton 1-0 (0-0)/Jota 57/Thursday22:00: (1.65) Chelsea (4.50) Tottenham (4.70)***odds are subject to change***
