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Former Chelsea midfielder Gus Poyet believes the Blues are in for a "very tough" encounter against Tottenham Hotspur. Thomas Tuchel's men will host Spurs at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League on Sunday, August 14.
Both teams picked up all three points on Matchday 1, with Chelsea defeating Everton and Spurs beating Southampton. However, Antonio Conte's side looked far more convincing as a unit in the 4-1 thrashing. Ryan Sessegnon, Eric Dier and Dejan Kulusevski got on the scoresheet for the London outfit.
The Blues, meanwhile, edged out the Toffees 1-0 thanks to a Jorginho penalty. Plenty has already been said about their unconvincing display and Poyet has added to that by stating that Tuchel's men were not at their best.
During an exclusive interview with Lord Ping, he was asked how be believes the clash between the Blues and Spurs will pan out. Poyet responded:
"It's a very tough game for Chelsea, being so early in the season, in a derby and Chelsea not looking at their best, it's more important for Chelsea to win."
The Uruguayan added:
"If Tottenham win there's no drama, but if Chelsea lost now, it could trigger some crazy new panic signings in the last few weeks of the transfer window, and that is never good."
Poyet concluded:
"Conte knows what he will do, I'm not so sure what the starting line-up will be for Chelsea with their cramp and little injuries. It's a very important game for Chelsea."
Tottenham Hotspur were winless against Chelsea last season
The two rivals notably played against each other four times last season, with Chelsea emerging victorious on all four occasions.
Tuchel's troops beat Tottenham 3-0 in the Premier League at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in October last year. They followed it up by defeating Spurs 2-0 and 1-0 in the EFL Cup semifinals to progress to the final, where they lost to Liverpool.
The two teams met again for the reverse Premier League fixture, which the Blues won 2-0 at Stamford Bridge. Spurs will now hope to exact revenge when they clash for the first time in the 2022-23 season on Sunday.
