Premier League announce new date for crucial Chelsea and Tottenham clash
The Premier League has confirmed that Chelsea will host Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, 19 May, in a rearranged fixture with huge relegation implications for the visitors.
The fiercely contested London derby was originally postponed last week due to the hosts advancing to the FA Cup final.
The Blues will face Manchester City in the showpiece event on 16 May, forcing this crucial league encounter to be pushed back.
Kick-off in west London is now officially scheduled for 20:15 BST.
Survival hopes hang in the balance
The rearranged fixture arrives at a critical juncture for the struggling north Londoners.
Roberto De Zerbi’s team currently sit in the bottom three, finding themselves two points adrift of top-flight safety.
Their perilous situation worsened recently after West Ham United secured a dramatic late victory over Everton.
That vital result for the Hammers immediately cancelled out the Italian manager’s first win in charge against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Historic relegation remains a threat
This pivotal trip follows another crucial matchweek where West Ham travel to St James’ Park to play Newcastle United.
Should results go against them beforehand, a defeat at Stamford Bridge could mathematically confirm Tottenham’s first ever relegation from the Premier League.
The home side also have plenty on the line, retaining faint mathematical hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League.
Manager remains positive
Despite the immense pressure, the recently appointed head coach remains upbeat about his squad’s chances of avoiding the drop.
“I believe to stay up,” Roberto De Zerbi said.
“If I stay here, it’s because I’m positive, now, because I’m a coach of Tottenham, Tottenham is not important on the pitch, if you are Tottenham or another team, the most important are the qualities of the players, and the human level of the players.”
The former Brighton boss admitted he was initially surprised by the daunting situation but has grown confident after assessing his dressing room.
“It was a surprise for me, because I didn’t know them, and when I knew better my players, I understood that we have the possibility, the chance to stay up.”
He emphasised that the narrow two-point gap to safety is manageable given the squad’s underlying ability.
“We have two points, not 10 points, we have two points from West Ham. West Ham are a good team, but also Tottenham are very good players and a very good team.”
