1) Kanté crucial in crunch clash
Thomas Tuchel did not hold back with his praise for N’Golo Kanté at the end of last season. “He is our Mo Salah, our Van Dijk, our De Bruyne,” Chelsea’s manager said. “He is Neymar, our Kylian Mbappé – he makes a difference.” Then came the caveat. For Tuchel, the frustration was how often Kanté found himself in the treatment room. The France midfielder has struggled with minor knocks since 2019, and there have been times when he has lacked the dynamism of old. That said, there is still nothing quite like watching Kanté when he is in peak condition. Few midfielders can live with the 31-year-old when he is in the mood and he will be key to Chelsea’s chances of victory when they host Tottenham on Sunday. Spurs may start as slight favourites, but the balance of power could tip back in Chelsea’s favour if Kanté overpowers Rodrigo Bentancur and Pierre-Emile Højbjerg. JS
