It looks like Newcastle United are about to give Tottenham Hotspur a nice gift. As we write this, Newcastle are up 3-0 on West Ham United, and if that result holds, it’s a huge boost for Spurs in their quest to stay up next season. That said, Tottenham still very much need a result on Tuesday night, when they travel across town to Chelsea. Spurs might get a nice fitness boost too, if Dominic Solanke and/or Guglielmo Vicario return from injury.
Both the high-priced striker and the one-time first choice goalkeeper are in frame to potentially return for this critical London derby.
London Derby FYIs
Kickoff: May 19, 8:15pm, Stamford Bridge, London, UK
Team News: Chelsea FC Tottenham Hotspur
Premier League Standing: Chelsea- 9th, 2 pts outside of UECL qualification Tottenham Hotspur- 17th, two points above the drop zone
Result Probabilities via Google: Chelsea win 46%, Draw 25%, Tottenham win 29%
Relegation Scrap Standings
Tottenham Hotspur: 17th, 37 pts, -9 goal differential (tie-breaker 1) 45 goals scored (tie-breaker 2)
West Ham United: 18th, 36 pts, -19 goal differential (tie-breaker 1) 42 goals scored (tie-breaker 2)
Spurs Team News
Other than Solanke and/or Vicario, there will likely be no changes to the team fitness/injury/availability situation for this match. Mo Kudus, Cristian Romero, Dejan Kulusevski, Xavi Simons, Ben Davies and Wilson Odobert have of course all been long ruled out for the season.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.