Tottenham v Chelsea: Spurs projected starting XI against the Blues

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LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 14: Victor Wanyama of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates scoring his sides first goal with Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United at White Hart Lane on May 14, 2017 in London, England. Tottenham Hotspur are playing their last ever home match at White Hart Lane after their 118 year stay at the stadium. Spurs will play at Wembley Stadium next season with a move to a newly built stadium for the 2018-19 campaign. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images) /

Defensive Midfielder-Mousa Dembele

The third member of Tottenham’s Belgian trio has quite a bit of history against Chelsea. It’s hard to forget Dembele losing his cool against the Blues two seasons ago to earn a long suspension.

To succeed on Sunday, he’ll need to play with a much cooler head. Fortunately, he won’t have to cope with Diego Costa trying to instigate him at every opportunity. Look for Dembele to approach the match with quiet resolution. He’ll play a big role in Tottenham’s efforts to control the ball in the middle of the pitch.

Defensive Midfielder-Victor Wanyama

This is without a doubt Pochettino’s toughest call of the afternoon. If he sticks with the 4-2-3-1 formation he deployed against Newcastle then either Victor Wanyama or Eric Dier will start this match on the bench. As you can see, I’m backing the Kenyan destroyer to get the nod.

This could certainly change if Pochettino doesn’t believe Wanyama has fully recovered from injury. If he has, then he’s the right play. Spurs’ first priority in the match will be to keep Chelsea’s attack quiet. The presence of Wanyama on the pitch with Dembele gives Pochettino his best possible defensive midfield pairing.

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