Jose Mourinho is probably the most accomplished manager in Chelsea FC history. In two stints at Stamford Bridge, he brought the club to heights they have never seen before. He’s squared off against his former club in the past, but he’s never faced them while leading a rival fellow London club.
The first opportunity comes Sunday at White Hart Lane. “I am 100% Tottenham. I am 100% my club always,” Mourinho said about the opportunity to go against the club that he is arguably most identifiable with.
“No space at all for my previous clubs. I gave everything to all of them, but they are my previous clubs. My club is Tottenham so it’s so, so easy for me. Not difficult from the emotional side of things.”
A win and Spurs are in the top four again, so plenty of incentive in this one. What lineup will Mourinho select in the hopes of getting it done? Here’s our best guess
Tottenham Hotspur Starting XI Prediction vs Chelsea FC
Kane
Son Alli Moura
Dier Sissoko
Vertonghen Alderweireld Sanchez Aurier
Gazzaniga
Tottenham Hotspur v. Chelsea FYIs
Sunday Dec 22, 11:30 a.m. ET on NBCSN, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
Starting XI Predictions: Chelsea Tottenham Hotspur
Team news for both sides: go to this link
Referee: Anthony Taylor
Form Guide: Tottenham Hotspur- WWLWW Chelsea FC- LLWLL
Google Result Probability: Tottenham Hotspur win 40%, Draw 27%, Chelsea win 33%
Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur 2, Chelsea 2
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
You can follow Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com on Twitter here and his cat on Instagram at this link.