Tottenham Hotspur will be aiming to extend their unbeaten Premier League run to 13 games when they host champions Chelsea at White Hart Lane on Sunday.
With 10 points currently separating the two London rivals, Spurs can strike a blow to Chelsea's hopes of securing a place in the top four this season after their disastrous start.
Spurs
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While other sides close to the top of the table struggled last weekend, Spurs delivered another impressive performance to thrash West Ham United 4-1 and extend the longest unbeaten run in the league.
It was further proof of how strong Mauricio Pochettino's squad is this season as they closed the gap on the top four to move within four points of surprise leaders Leicester City, and Harry Kane was the leader again with a brace in the London derby.
After passing their latest test in the league, Kane then scored the only goal in the victory over Qarabag FK to secure a spot in the knockout stage of the Europa League to make it nine goals in his last six games.
A tough schedule has left Pochettino frustrated in recent days, as he lamented the fact that his side had to make the six-hour trip to Azerbaijan before facing Chelsea in a 12pm kickoff on Sunday afternoon.
Electing to play the likes of Kane, Christian Eriksen and Eric Dier may have allowed Spurs to secure their progress in Europe, but there is certainly a worry that their key players will still be feeling the effects of their midweek exploits when the game gets underway.
However, the confidence in the squad is certainly justification for Pochettino to resist making many changes, and with the chance to move 13 points clear of the champions after 14 games, Spurs could not be in a better position heading into such an important test.
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Chelsea
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It appears that the green shoots of recovery are finally emerging for Chelsea as Jose Mourinho's side look to recover from a turbulent few months.
Three successive league defeats had raised further questions about whether Roman Abramovich would make the decision to part company with Mourinho, whose deteriorating relationship with the media and comments about underperforming players have piled the pressure on the club since this poor run started.
One of the stars of last season was responsible for relieving some of that pressure last weekend as Diego Costa struck the winner in a 1-0 victory over Norwich City, before a comfortable 4-0 win from their trip to Maccabi Tel Aviv boosted the squad's confidence in midweek.
Chelsea remain well short of the form which guided them to the title, but with so much of the season remaining, Mourinho will be hopeful that the battling win against Norwich is at least a sign of his side improving in their bid to climb up the table.
In truth, it will take a big response for Chelsea to stay in the hunt for Champions League qualification and they cannot afford another extended spell of disappointing results if they are to catch the likes of Spurs before May.
Winning just one of their six away games has been one of the big problems, with Chelsea no longer possessing the defensive resilience which was so key to their title success. Mourinho will be hoping that it returns in time to frustrate the league's in-form side.
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Team News
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John Terry missed training on Friday after being stretchered off with an ankle injury against Maccabi Tel Aviv, but Mourinho claimed that there is still a chance his captain could be available for the trip to North London.
Ramires is facing a battle to be fit due to a muscle problem, but Cesc Fabregas has recovered from a toe injury suffered in midweek.
Spurs will be without Dele Alli due to a one-game suspension for picking up five bookings, which should allow Erik Lamela to return to the team after serving his own ban.
Mousa Dembele, Danny Rose and Kyle Walker did not travel to Azerbaijan and should all be recalled, while Son Heung-min should retain his spot in the side.
Spurs possible starting lineup:
Lloris; Walker, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Rose; Dier, Dembele; Son, Eriksen, Lamela; Kane
Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Begovic; Ivanovic, Zouma, Cahill, Azpilicueta; Fabregas, Matic; Willian, Hazrd, Pedro, Costa
Head To Head
Kane was the hero in this fixture last season as he netted twice to lead Spurs to a thrilling 5-3 triumph over their London rivals on New Year's Day.
That win ended a run of nine league games without a win over Chelsea, who have won on just one of their last nine trips to White Hart Lane in the competition.
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Hit play below to see what the Sports Mole Sofa had to say about this encounter:
We say: Spurs 1-1 Chelsea
A midweek trip to Azerbaijan is certainly not ideal for Spurs ahead of this game, but they are full of confidence and should take the game to a Chelsea side looking for a vital win. Mourinho will likely attempt to frustrate the hosts and hit them on the break as much as possible, and there could be very little to choose between the two sides over 90 minutes.
Callum Mulvihill
