Tottenham Hotspur could confirm its place in next year’s Premier League – and trigger West Ham’s relegation – if it can record a historic away win at Chelsea on Tuesday.
After a miserable run of two and a half months without a win, Spurs (9-16-11, 38 points) have taken eight points in five league games since the appointment of manager Roberto De Zerbi on March 31. They are undefeated in their last four games.
Six different players have scored in those four games: away wins at Wolverhampton and Aston Villa, and home games against Brighton and Leeds. Tottenham has climbed back above West Ham with a game in hand (36 points).
An awarded penalty prevented Mathys Tel’s 50th minute goal from becoming a match-winner in a 1-1 draw against Leeds. De Zerbi believes his team will exude confidence in the match against Chelsea, where they last won in 2018.
“We scored eight points in the last four,” De Zerbi said. “And if you analyze the performance, I think we can get more than eight points, and for that we have to be confident and positive.”
Former Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher was one of those six goalscorers, netting the opener in a 2–1 win against Aston Villa on 3 May. He will make his first appearance for Chelsea since moving to Atletico Madrid ahead of the 2024-2025 season.
The Blues (13-13-10, 49 points) are coming off Saturday’s 1-0 FA Cup final defeat to Manchester City, followed by Sunday’s promising announcement that legendary former Liverpool and Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso will take over as permanent manager next season.
The defeat against Manchester City, which was decided by Antoine Semenyo’s brilliant goal, prevented Chelsea from directly qualifying for a European place. But it could still take points with Brentford for eighth place and a place in the Europa Conference League with a win, making for a dramatic final day.
Central defender Levi Colwill’s recovery from cruciate ligament surgery in August has helped stabilize a backline that has conceded just twice in two games, drawing 1-1 with Liverpool in the Blues’ last league match on May 9.
But interim manager Calum McFarlane admits he will think carefully about whether to give the 23-year-old England international a second appearance in four days.
«We have to be careful with Levi,» McFarlane said. «He is clearly no longer bothered by a very serious injury and has performed well in those two games. We will see how he looks today, how he reports, and we will make a decision on that.»
Published on May 19, 2026
