Chelsea thump Tottenham 9-2 in Ultimate London Derby XI
Jose Mourinho returns to Stamford Bridge on Sunday as an opposition manager for the seventh time of his career. Tottenham make the short trip across the capital to face Chelsea on Sunday afternoon in arguably the biggest game of the weekend in the Premier League with Mourinho eager to improve his record at his former stomping ground having won only one of his previous six visits to Chelsea.
The form book doesn't make for good reading for Tottenham either, with the north London side securing just one win on their last 26 trips to west London. As one of three teams to boast a 100% away record in the Premier League this season, the league leaders aren't to be underestimated by the Blues, but who dominates a combined XI of the two London giants?
Using their respective Premier League ratings, and of those to have made at least five appearances this season, WhoScored comes to rescue, but, and we'll be honest with you here Tottenham fans, it's not an XI you will be happy with.
That's because there are only two Spurs players in this combined XI. Two of the Premier League's top four best rated players at the time of writing make the cut with Harry Kane (8.28) and Son Heung-Min (7.78) featuring on the frontline and the left wing, respectively. The Kane to Son assist-to-goalscorer combination is the best in Europe's top five leagues this season, yielding seven goals, but the Spurs pair have a disappointing record against the Blues.
Kane has scored just one goal in his last seven league appearances against the Blues, while Son has hit the back of the net just twice in 11 career outings with Chelsea, which doesn't bode well for Spurs. Partnering Kane in attack is one of Chelsea's high profile summer signings in Timo Werner (7.36), who scored his first Blues goal in their 1-1 Carabao Cup draw with Spurs at the end of September.
Werner is the first of five summer Chelsea signings to feature, with Hakim Ziyech (7.24) occupying the right flank. The Moroccan has made a superb start to life at Stamford Bridge after injury resulted in a delay in making his debut for the club, but with three assists and one goal to his name, Ziyech has certainly lived up to expectations in west London. Mason Mount (7.26) and N'Golo Kante (7.11) feature as the central midfield partnership in the combined XI, with the latter looking back to his best having made more tackles and interceptions combined (52) than any other player in England's top tier this term.
At right-back, Reece James (7.19) gets the nod in this team. Serge Aurier (7.86) may have a better rating than the England international, but the Spurs man has only made three appearances in the Premier League this season, so doesn't qualify. The left-backs for Chelsea and Spurs have both made superb starts to life in their new surroundings, however it is Ben Chilwell (7.66) who gets the nod ahead of Sergio Reguilon (7.13) at full-back.
Meanwhile at centre-back, Kurt Zouma (7.41) has been the top performing player in his position in the Premier League this season and his newly-formed partnership with Thiago Silva (7.02) has been a key reason for Chelsea's defensive resolve. Toby Alderweireld (6.92) comes closest to breaking this partnership up, but the Belgian's injury rules him out even if he did boast a better rating.
Finally between the sticks, another key player in Chelsea's solidity at the back is summer capture Edouard Mendy (6.86) who has proven a revelation for the Blues. No goalkeeper has kept more clean sheets than Mendy (4) in the Premier League this season, with the former Rennes man conceding just once in five appearances in England's top tier following his capture. Spurs will hope to add to this on Sunday in what is shaping up to be a tantalisting encounter in west London.
