On November 6th of last year, the Bonfire Night fireworks came a day late for Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea.
The bitter rivals met in north London. Spurs had the chance to go top of the Premier League table and maintain an unbeaten run of ten matches. Meanwhile, the Blues sat in a lacklustre tenth place with the team still trying to gel under new boss Mauricio Pochettino.
However, a Cole Palmer penalty and Nicolas Jackson hat-trick later and Chelsea left the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as 4-1 victors.
It was a chaotic game that saw James Maddison and Micky van de Ven suffer lengthy injuries and Tottenham finish with nine players.
It certainly changed the season for Ange Postecolou's side as their form took a nosedive, struggling to reclaim any sort of consistency since.
Pochettino has led his new club to a more gradual ascent. A spot in Europe is now within six points and doing the double over his former employers will be crucial in reaching those positions.
Neither side come into the fixture in sparkling form. Chelsea's narrow FA Cup exit was followed by a 5-0 hammering at Arsenal then a strong fightback to make it 2-2 most recently against Aston Villa.
While Tottenham's 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest feels seemingly distant after a 4-0 drubbing up in Newcastle and a 3-2 derby defeat at home to Arsenal.
As well as the pride at stake in such a feud, three points will go a long way for each in their respective aims for continental football next season.
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Team News
Chelsea
As well as announcing that he will leave the club at the end of the season, Thiago Silva is now undergoing rehab after suffering a knock at Villa Park.
The Brazilian adds his name to the long list of injuries at Stamford Bridge. Ben Chilwell, Malo Gusto, Carney Chukwuemeka, Wesley Fofana, Enzo Fernandez and Romeo Lavia all remain on the side lines.
Reece James, Robert Sanchez, Lesley Ugochukwu and Raheem Sterling are partaking "partial" training currently and so may yet feature again this season.
Another blow has been dealt with Axel Disasi now undergoing a "medical assessment".
Levi Colwill and Christopher Nkunku have resumed first team training though their availability for the Spurs game was unclear.
Tottenham Hotspur
Alongside Destiny Udogie, Ben Davies (calf) and Timo Werner will miss the rest of the campaign due to injuries sustained against Arsenal.
Manor Solomon, Fraser Forster and Ryan Sessegnon are unavailable.
Oliver Skipp, who missed the North London Derby due to a knock, is still a doubt.
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Likely Line Ups
Petrovic; Gilchrist, Chalobah, Badiashile, Cucurella; Caicedo, Gallagher, Madueke, Palmer, Mudryk; Jackson
Vicario; Porro, Romero, van de Ven, Emerson; Bissouma, Sarr, Maddison; Kulusevski, Son, Richarlison
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Key Players
Chelsea: Cole Palmer
Of all the players bought by Todd Boehly's trigger happy chequebook, Palmer has undoubtedly been the biggest success story.
The England international has been in imperious form this season, contributing to 29 of Chelsea's 63 Premier League goals. The 20 he has scored himself is just one shy of former teammate Erling Haaland in the golden boot race.
A graduate of the Manchester City academy, Palmer's creation abilities will also prove pivotal. His 2.3 key passes per home game could be deadly against a Tottenham side regularly caught on the counter.
Though he will likely be assigned the number ten role, Palmer will be free to roam. Exploiting Spurs' weaknesses at left back and drawing out defenders around the 18-yard line will be key in this showdown.
Tottenham Hotspur: Micky van de Ven
It's been quite a year for van de Ven. Taking to Premier League life like a duck to water, he has been the left-sided centre back Spurs have been crying out for ever since Jan Vertonghen's powers began to wane.
While his defensive partner, Cristian Romero, was the focus after the North London Derby, van de Ven's role on the left is exactly why his performance will be more important than usual.
The difference in profile between Davies and Destiny Udogie was ruthlessly exploited by Bukayo Saka. With the Welshman now also out for the foreseeable, it will be an area routinely targeted by opponents.
As well as his trademark, counter-attack halting sprints, van de Ven will be tasked with reassuring the left flank along with Emerson Royal.
Despite Chelsea's injury crisis especially impacting their defence, Spurs need to focus on their own problems at the back if they want to stand any hope of claiming their second league clean sheet in 2024.
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Match Details
Where is the match being played?
Stamford Bridge in London.
What time is kick-off?
19:30 BST on Thursday 2nd May.
How can I watch?
In the UK, the match is available on Sky Sports (Main Event and Premier League). Radio commentary is on talkSPORT.
