Chelsea vs Tottenham: Martinez Out With Jaw Fracture as Spurs Visit With Just Six Goals From Seven Games
by Geoffrey Ejiga | by Geoffrey Ejiga
Three Straight Chelsea Wins at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Joao Pedro scored the only goal the last time these sides met in the league, earning a 1-0 Chelsea win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the 2025-26 season.
That result extended Chelsea's run to three straight away wins against Spurs, following:
- Cole Palmer's two penalties in a 4-3 victory on the same ground in December 2024, and
- Nicolas Jackson's hat-trick in a 4-1 win there in November 2023.
Chelsea scored nine goals and conceded four across those three trips to north London. Palmer's Panenka penalty in the December 2024 meeting summed up the visitors' confidence on Tottenham's home turf during that spell.
In fact, Tottenham have not beaten Chelsea in six Premier League games since February 2023, with Spurs losing all six games. They’re the underdogs, but ensure to see our expert’s Chelsea vs Tottenham prediction before you bet.
Chelsea Fourth After 17 Goals in Seven
Alonso was appointed in May on a four-year contract after managing Bayer Leverkusen, where he led the club to an unbeaten league and cup double in 2023-24, and Real Madrid.
Today, his new Chelsea team are fourth with 13 points from seven matches. The Blues have scored 17 goals in this campaign, including at least two in all three of their home matches.
Chelsea have scored the 3rd-most goals (17) in the 2026-27 Premier League season.
Joao Pedro leads the scoring with five Premier League goals. Rogers and Neto have three each, while Palmer and Henderson have two apiece. A 5-1 win over Bournemouth saw Pedro and Henderson both score twice before Neto struck both goals in a 2-0 win at Everton a week later.
Chelsea also won 4-3 against Brighton and 3-2 at Fulham in their opening two fixtures, though they have shipped 13 goals in seven games, conceding three at both Brighton and Brentford.
Spurs Manage Just Six
In contrast, Tottenham are 17th with six points from seven matches and have scored just six league goals all season. Notably, four of those came from the 85th minute onwards.
De Zerbi's side failed to score in their first four league fixtures, drawing 0-0 with Nottingham Forest and Everton after opening defeats against Brentford and Newcastle.
They have managed just one goal in three away matches, thanks to Dominic Solanke's 90th-minute header in a 1-1 draw at Manchester United.
The 3-1 win over Coventry last weekend ended their wait for a first league victory of the campaign, and may have just kept De Zerbi in office for another week.
James Maddison opened the scoring inside 15 minutes on his return from injury, while Omar Marmoush added a second from distance before Ben Davies completed the scoring in added time.
Before that match, all three of Tottenham's league goals had come in the final minutes:
- Former Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher and Jan Paul van Hecke scored late in a 3-2 loss to Aston Villa, and
- Solanke headed a 90th-minute equaliser at Manchester United.
De Zerbi was appointed in March 2026 on a five-year contract to replace Igor Tudor, who was sacked after five defeats in seven matches during a 44-day spell in charge. The results tonight may very well determine his career two months into the new season.
Martinez and James Out for Chelsea, Bentancur Suspended for Spurs
Chelsea will be without goalkeeper Martinez, who fractured his jaw in a collision with Jarrad Branthwaite during the win at Everton. He has had surgery and faces several weeks on the sidelines. Mike Penders is expected to start in goal.
Also on injury list are:
- Reece James: ruled out after undergoing knee surgery before the Everton match, with a possible return in January.
- Jamie Gittens: sidelined with an ankle injury that Alonso expects to keep him out for the rest of October.
- Emmanuel Emegha: doubtful with a hamstring problem
Two other doubts are Malo Gusto who missed the Everton trip through illness, and Pep Chavarria with an undisclosed issue.
On the other end of the pitch, Tottenham's Rodrigo Bentancur is suspended after his red card at Old Trafford. Xavi Simons has been out since April with a serious knee injury and is not expected to return until early 2027.
What’s more, Destiny Udogie suffered a knee problem against Manchester United, while Savio was sidelined until late November with a muscle injury. Mykhaylo Mudryk too is sidelined with an ankle issue and Lucas Bergvall is out with a muscle problem.
Pedro Porro could return for the visitors after recovering from a hamstring injury and is expected to rejoin the squad for this match.
