PREVIEW: Chelsea host relegation-threatened Spurs with Europe hanging in balance | OneFootball

Chelsea host relegation-threatened Tottenham aiming to move into contention for European football next season in the penultimate game before Xabi Alonso’s arrival to Stamford Bridge.

The Blues have cycled through two permanent managers and fallen out of the top eight, with Europe now hanging in the balance, and require wins against Spurs and Sunderland in their final two games to give themselves a chance of qualifying.

But their opponents will be just as desperate for a victory that would keep them in the English top flight while relegating fellow London rivals West Ham, who lost at Newcastle 3-1 yesterday, with one game to spare.

Calum McFarlane, fresh off of a 1-0 defeat to Man City in the FA Cup final, will be keen to end the rot of seven games without a win, last tasting victory in March when they impressively beat Aston Villa 4-1 and rose to fifth under Liam Rosenior.

That win came as the former Chelsea boss claimed that his side were running out of time to reduce the gap to the Champions League, but their chances of qualifying for the prestigious club competition have since vanished.

Chelsea are 10 points behind fifth-placed Liverpool, on 59 points, with only six left to play for.

McFarlane has struggled to get the Blues firing again, winning just one of his five games in charge and has the task of safely guiding the club through the transition into a new era Alonso was announced as the team’s new manager on Sunday.

Joao Pedro, who has a point to prove after his omission from Brazil’s final World Cup squad, was taken off as a precaution in the FA Cup final but his injury doesn’t seem bad enough to keep him away from the first-team.

Midfielder Romeo Lavia missed the FA Cup final with a knock, yet may been available to feature this evening, but wingers Estevao and Jesse Derry are still recovering from their hamstring and head injuries respectively.

Jamie Byone-Gittens will miss the remainder of the season, also suffering from a hamstring injury, adding to a further set of frustrations for Chelsea fans as he has yet to deliver on his £55m price tag.

As for Spurs, Roberto De Zerbi has done exactly what White Heart Lane were praying for by steering the side out of the relegation zone with two games to go.

Draws to Brighton and Leeds were either side of victories over Wolves and Aston Villa that has them within touching distance of confirming their Premier League survival after a dismal season.

Thomas Frank was sacked in mid-February with just two wins in 17, but his former club have recorded as many wins in the whole of 2026 and have also hired and fired Croatian Igor Tudor before De Zerbi’s arrival.

The Italian has since steered the ship and Spurs appear almost certain of Premier League survival, especially thanks to West Ham’s fall of in form that came to ahead in a 3-1 defeat at St. James’ Park on Sunday.

Spurs’ massive injury crisis has been well-documented and consistent this season, as Xavi Simmons, Wilson Odobert, Dejan Kulusevski have all sustained anteriror cruciate ligaments over the past year while captain Romero will miss the remaining games and the World Cup with a knee injury he sustained at Sunderland.

Winger Mohammed Kudus is also out with a thigh injury that De Zerbi has confirmed will require surgery and Dominik Solanke will potentially be available on Sunday but will definitely miss this game at the Bridge.

There is a smidge of good news for Tottenham, however, as goalkeeper Gugliemo Vicario has recovered from his surgery and will be fit to make the squad.

Tuesday’s game represents a chance for Tottenham to finally rescue their season once and for all, but with no defeats at home to De Zerbi’s men for Chelsea since 2018 there may be an air of doubt despite the hosts’ poor recent form.