Premier League football returned with a bang last week, and the second round of matches throws up the first clash between two sides anticipated to be right in the thick of the battle for a top-four finish.

Chelsea's first home game of the season hands them a London derby against Tottenham, with both on a high following their opening victories against Everton and Southampton respectively.

On the weekend the Premier League celebrates its 30th birthday, all eyes will be on Stamford Bridge as Antonio Conte faces off against his former employers.

Both Chelsea and Spurs had busy pre-seasons, including the former being taken over by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, and with both playing in the Champions League this season, will be among the favourites to secure their spots in Europe's elite competition once again.

Securing points against rivals in the battle may well be decisive come May, and Chelsea know they have the historic edge.

Spurs' Stamford Bridge struggles

In 2018, Spurs won consecutive Premier League matches against Chelsea – a rare phenomenon for the north London side, who are historically poor in their trips across the capital to Stamford Bridge.

Since losing 3-1 at Wembley in November 2018, Chelsea have returned to form in the fixture, with seven Premier League matches unbeaten against Spurs, six wins and one draw.

During that run, Chelsea have conceded just a solitary goal and not even that was scored by a Spurs player, with Antonio Rudiger netting an own goal in Chelsea's 2-1 win in February 2020.

Spurs' record at Stamford Bridge makes for even worse reading. Their 3-1 win in April 2018 is their only success in their last 37 visits to Chelsea, suffering 24 defeats and sharing the spoils on 12 occasions.

 

Kane's killing edge

Thierry Henry stands as the highest Premier League scorer in London derbies with 43, but Harry Kane (41) is now closing in on the former Arsenal captain.

The England skipper is a reliable threat in front of goal against opponents from the capital but has a poor run of form against Chelsea, having failed to score in any of his last five appearances against the Blues.

In the top-flight, Kane has only had longer goalless runs against Manchester City (seven games between 2017 and 2021) and Manchester United (six games between 2014 and 2016).

Kane comes into Sunday's clash seeking to open his account for the season but will have fond memories of his last London derby, where he struck twice in a convincing win over Arsenal in May.

 

Centurions in wait

Tottenham sit just one victory away from celebrating 100 wins in Premier League London derby matches and, if they beat Chelsea, will become the third side to reach that milestone after the Blues and Arsenal.

Securing a win at Stamford Bridge is difficult enough but Spurs are also edging towards being centurions in Premier League London derbies at the opposite end of the spectrum as they have 97 defeats – only West Ham (112) having more.

Both milestones could be reached during the course of the 2022-23 season, and Spurs will hope to tick off the former first.

 

Home headache

Two of Chelsea's last three home Premier League London derby matches have ended in defeat, having lost to Arsenal and Brentford in April.

In that run, Chelsea suffered as many defeats in three games as they had in their previous 17 – where they had only dropped 12 points from a possible 51.

Those losses to Arsenal and Brentford hit harder, however, with the fact that Thomas Tuchel's side conceded eight goals in total – as many as they had conceded in their previous 16 combined.

Spurs can pack a punch too, with Conte's men winning their last four Premier League matches with an aggregate scoreline of 13-1, which stands as the longest winning run within the top-flight.

Antonio Conte says Tottenham would be "foolish" to spend big in the transfer market and will use "common sense."

Spurs have made six signings during the window, landing Richarlison, Yves Bissouma, Ivan Perisic, Djed Spence, Clement Lenglet and Fraser Forster.

The London club have also been linked with Roma attacking midfielder Nicolo Zaniolo and Barcelona forward Memphis Depay, while teenage wing-back Destiny Udogie is expected to arrive form Udinese and return to the Serie A club on loan.

They are also reportedly set to trigger a £41million release clause to make centre-back Cristian Romero's loan move from Atalanta permanent.

Tottenham head coach Conte has vowed there is no chance the club will be reckless before the transfer window closes on September 1.

He said ahead of Sunday's derby at his former club Chelsea: "We improved in this way but I know I can't have everything quickly, it would be foolish to ask for a lot of players and spend a lot of money.

"We're doing the right things with common sense, not to spend the money on many players. Also, this is not the politics of the club, I understand this. We have to go in the right way, doing the right things."

Conte is pleased with the strength of his squad as Spurs look to make further strides after securing fourth place in the Premier League last season to seal a Champions League spot.

The Italian added: "I'm very happy with our squad because, compared to last season, we improved with Richy but we lost [Steven] Bergwijn. [Bryan] Gil went on loan but now he's in the squad of 20 players. I think in midfield we improved with Bissouma and with [Harry] WInks, and then with Lenglet behind.

"We signed players with common sense, to find players with the right characteristics, to help us have the quality. To have reliable players, players ready to have a good impact."

Tottenham will be without defender Lenglet and midfielder Oliver Skipp for their second Premier League game of the season due to an abductor injury and a hairline heel fracture respectively.

Pep Guardiola revealed Sergio Gomez will compete for a place in Manchester City's first team as he confirmed reports the Premier League champions are set to sign the young left-back.

City have reportedly agreed an £11million (€13m) deal to sign the 21-year-old Anderlecht player, having missed out on Marc Cucurella to Chelsea earlier this month.

Guardiola has been chasing another left-back to compete with Joao Cancelo since Oleksandr Zinchenko departed for Arsenal, with Atletico Madrid's Renan Lodi and Wolves' Rayan Ait-Nouri also touted as potential targets.

Although some have suggested Gomez represents a development project, with a loan move to Girona mooted, Guardiola is confident in his ability to contribute immediately.

"You know the club is always working on many possibilities and chances in all positions, and this one target is a young player," Guardiola said ahead of City's Premier League fixture against Bournemouth on Saturday. 

"In the [2017 Under-17] World Cup years ago, the best player was Phil Foden, and he was the second-best player in this tournament, then he played for Spain's under-21s.

"He was a young talented player from the academy in Barcelona, he went to [Borussia] Dortmund and didn't get many minutes, and the last year he played in the good hands of Vincent Kompany at Anderlecht and played really well.

"We targeted him and could bring him here."

Asked whether Gomez was one for the future, Guardiola responded: "No, for now, he's going to stay with us and will be alongside Joao, for left-back."

Full-backs have a vital role in Guardiola's team, with the ability of Cancelo to drift into the middle of the midfield seen as key.

Playing in this way, Cancelo laid on seven Premier League assists in 2021-22 – a tally only beaten by Gabriel Jesus and Kevin De Bruyne (both eight) among City players – and created 36 chances from open play.

He also topped the club's charts for passes ending in the final third (1,112 – over 300 more than second-placed Bernardo Silva's 769) .

Cancelo and Kyle Walker each impressed as City enjoyed over 75 per cent of the possession in a routine win at West Ham last Sunday, and Guardiola highlighted the way his full-backs must adapt against different opponents.

"It's not the first time I've done it; for many years, I've done it," he added.

"Last season, with a proper striker with Gabriel or Raz [Raheem Sterling] playing that, or with a false nine, we played it, too.

"And in many games, we didn't play it, and many games this season we are not going to play. It depends on the qualities of opponents, especially the shape of how they defend.

"The way we attack depends on how they defend. It's different to attack a four or five at the back, to see how the wingers behave, to defend narrow or wide – this affects your attack.

"You have to adapt. Since, I would say, at Bayern Munich, especially in the second season, I always used it many, many times."

Erling Haaland has "a lot of margin to improve" with Manchester City, according to Pep Guardiola.

The Norway international made the move from Borussia Dortmund to the Etihad Stadium ahead of the new season, as a flagship signing for both the club and the Premier League.

Despite drawing a blank in the Community Shield loss to Liverpool, the Leeds-born star responded with a brace on his league debut for the club last weekend against West Ham.

For Guardiola, however, Haaland still has plenty of scope to get better at City, suggesting he must work more to find the ball and bring himself into the thick of the action.

"In the process to score a goal, I do not like the striker just waiting for balls to come," he said ahead of Saturday's home clash with Bournemouth.

"If he wants to drop, he can do it. Erling has a lot of margin to improve. I would not make out he is done. He can be a better player and [he] has the will to do it.

"He likes to play football. I [have] never seen a player, [except] maybe [Lionel] Messi, who is a finished article. Always, you can improve.

"We will try to make him a better player, all our players have a lot of margin to be better. That is the reason why we are here, to try to help them."

Guardiola also touched on the title rivalry his side have shared with Liverpool over the past few seasons, framing their relationship as something that pushes City forward to new heights with each year.

"We were able to create this rivalry," he added. "The biggest opponent we face is Liverpool [and] it is an honour. Sport like this, individual [or] collective, you need someone to [make] you better."

Thomas Tuchel never felt Chelsea had a "huge gap" to Tottenham before seven months in which the clubs appeared to travel in opposite directions.

Chelsea won all four meetings with Spurs in all competitions last season without conceding.

Indeed, the Blues are unbeaten in seven against their London rivals in the Premier League, with Tottenham having won only one of their past 37 trips to Stamford Bridge in all competitions.

Spurs coach Antonio Conte said after a 2-0 Chelsea win in the EFL Cup semi-finals that Tuchel's men were "much stronger than us".

"This game confirmed what I thought about the difference between the teams," he added.

However, since then Tottenham have joined Chelsea in qualifying for the Champions League and enjoyed an excellent transfer window.

Having beaten Southampton 4-1 on the opening day of the season, Conte's side head into the second weekend on top of the table; in 2022, they have earned the third-most points in the division (44) behind Liverpool (52) and Manchester City (46), with Chelsea sixth in that regard (35).

Conte's January comments were put to Tuchel on Friday then, before the teams' latest meeting, and the Chelsea coach was asked to reflect on how the situation had changed.

But Tuchel argued his team had only dominated Spurs due to their commitment and performance in those matches – and he suggested Conte's analysis should be taken with a pinch of salt.

"I never felt a huge gap in preparing these matches," Tuchel said before Sunday's game at Stamford Bridge. "They are close matches, and they are a very competitive and very talented squad.

"I know very well what we invested and to what level we played to beat them four times and not concede a goal against this quality team in an emotional game in London that means for everybody so much.

"This was a huge effort and a big performance from us.

"In general, I don't believe everything Antonio Conte says in games like this, before games and after games.

"I admire him a lot and believe strongly that every team he trains competes for everything, no matter which team it is and what club it is. This is what he proves right now.

"They had maybe the opposite last seven months from us, given the situation.

"Everything was clear; they had something very clear to fight for, they put all the energy in to reach Champions League football and they reached Champions League football.

"Their targets were clear, the set-up in the club was clear, and they took advantage of this situation and had a very aggressive transfer period, a very straightforward and excellent transfer period to strengthen their squad in quality and in depth.

"That's why it's one of the toughest opponents. That's what it is always with Antonio Conte's teams."

Tuchel would not reveal his "secret" to keeping Harry Kane and Son Heung-min quiet, but he openly discussed how a heatwave in the United Kingdom might impact the match.

"It is demanding," he said. "It is more demanding – we see clearly from the data that the same training exercise in a different condition has a very different output and a very different effect on how you feel.

"It is maybe also a matter of how much you want it and how much you accept it.

"It will feel at times maybe very, very difficult and very draining. It is also a question of who has the ability, the will to play through the pain."

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta hopes former captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang receives a "good reception" from Gunners fans if he returns to the Premier League from Barcelona.

Aubameyang was stripped of his captaincy last season before sealing a move to Barca, with further details of how the situation developed coming to light in Amazon's All Or Nothing documentary series.

In the latest episodes, released on Thursday, Arteta took strong action against Aubameyang after he returned late to training following a trip to Paris, setting in motion events that would lead to his departure.

The Amazon cameras also showed Arteta claimed to have record of numerous prior incidents of Aubameyang's indiscipline.

However, the Arsenal manager insisted on Friday he still has positive memories of the forward, who was the subject of much discussion as he emerges as a reported transfer target for rivals Chelsea.

"It's a long time since that happened. I cannot go back each time there is a series. I have made my comments on that," Arteta said of Aubameyang's exit.

"What has been done has to defend the club and put it in the best possible position.

"Auba is an exceptional player. He did so much for us. I hope he gets a good reception [if he comes back], because I think he deserves that."

Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel worked with Aubameyang previously at Borussia Dortmund and said of claims of his "toxic influence" at Arsenal: "I experienced none of this.

"This has nothing to do with the situation at Arsenal, which I also will not comment about out of respect, because it's not on me to comment. I don't know what happened.

"In Dortmund, there was never an issue."

Thomas Tuchel would have no concerns about Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's attitude but has refused to discuss the possibility of working with the Barcelona striker again at Chelsea.

The Blues have been linked with a move for Aubameyang after Tuchel acknowledged on Friday they "could use" new signings both in attack and defence.

Tuchel offered a firm "no comment" when asked about interest in either Aubameyang or Leicester City centre-back Wesley Fofana, but was willing to reflect on his work with the Barca front man while at Borussia Dortmund.

Aubameyang scored 56 Bundesliga goals in 63 games under Tuchel at BVB. Indeed, for no coach in the top five leagues has Aubameyang scored more goals, registered more goal contributions (63) or netted at a faster rate (94 minutes per goal).

Tuchel still enjoys a close bond with the reported Chelsea target, telling a news conference ahead of Sunday's game against Tottenham: "I enjoyed a lot working with him. It was a pleasure.

"This has nothing to do with the situation now, but some players stay your players, because you were very, very close. Auba was one of these players.

"We had a very close relationship. Always when we played him here with Arsenal, there was always straight away this close bond. They stay your players, in a way, and Auba is one of these guys."

Mikel Arteta did not enjoy quite the same relationship with Aubameyang at Arsenal, with their fallout – which resulted in his January move to Barca – documented in Amazon's recent All or Nothing documentary series.

But Tuchel, quizzed on Aubameyang's "toxic influence", said: "I experienced none of this.

"This has nothing to do with the situation at Arsenal, which I also will not comment about out of respect, because it's not on me to comment. I don't know what happened.

"In Dortmund, there was never an issue."

And Tuchel is not concerned by others' opinions on Aubameyang, adding: "I don't follow the press about Auba. Don't be offended, but I don't follow the press so much.

"I don't know if he has a bad press or a good press – I could not care less. It's not important."

For now, Tuchel's focus is on Sunday's game against Spurs, and he is determined not to be distracted by possible transfer activity.

"We will not panic, and we will not try to sign players of which we are not 100 per cent convinced," he explained. "Our signings so far are fantastic signings and help us.

"To be very honest, it's a day-by-day business now to coach the team which is here and not to lose your head as a coach too much about what could be.

"What sense does it make if I lose my head now in the office and think about the team with players who are not here?

"We are ambitious, and we work hard to maybe strengthen our squad further, but at the same time we are calm, and all the energy and the ambition goes into the group that is here. We have still time."

Julian Nagelsmann has revealed Leroy Sane is unhappy with his lack of game time at Bayern Munich, but the coach sees no reason to change his team following a flying start to the Bundesliga season.

Nagelsmann's side have begun his second season at the helm in stunning fashion, beating RB Leipzig 5-3 in a thrilling DFL-Supercup before racing to a 6-1 win at Eintracht Frankfurt in their Bundesliga opener last week.

Bayern were 5-0 up before half-time as they tore the Europa League winners apart last Friday, the biggest half-time lead a team have ever had in their opening Bundesliga game, while only one side have ever netted more than their six goals on matchday one – also Bayern in an 8-0 thrashing of Schalke in 2020. 

The Bundesliga champions' terrific start was made all the more impressive by the strength of their bench, with Sane and Matthijs de Ligt restricted to roles as second-half substitutes.

Sane, who went on to assist Bayern's sixth goal, has been linked with a move to Manchester United as Serge Gnabry and Sadio Mane start in Nagelsmann's attack, yet the coach is not concerned.

"I don't see any reason to change anything. We're still in the kind phase of the season, so you don't have to make big changes," he told a news conference ahead of Sunday's clash with Wolfsburg.

On Sane, he added: "He is not satisfied that he does not start. Others are doing better, like Jamal Musiala recently. 

"He needs to impose himself in training. He handles it well."

Mane has quickly made his mark, scoring 29 minutes into his Bundesliga debut and finishing the first weekend with the joint-most sprints (39) across the division, showing his seamless adaptation to Bayern's high-energy approach.

"He's very humble, an extreme team player who lets others shine," Nagelsmann said of the former Liverpool forward. "When dealing with him, you don't realise that he's a superstar. That makes it comfortable with him."

Meanwhile, Leon Goretzka has missed out entirely for Bayern so far this season, having undergone knee surgery ahead of a pre-season tour of the United States in July.

The Germany midfielder only made 19 Bundesliga appearances during a troubled 2021-22 campaign, but Nagelsmann revealed his recovery is progressing nicely.

"He's done some running but will need a bit longer before he can join team training," Nagelsmann said. 

"I will give him all the time he needs. The knee hasn't reacted badly at all, and the healing process is going better than we'd expected."

Tyson Fury has conducted another U-turn on his boxing future, announcing his retirement on social media just two days after appearing to confirm plans for a return to the ring.

On Tuesday, Fury revealed he had appointed a new trainer and urged Derek Chisora to accept an offer for a trilogy fight during a series of Instagram posts.

But on his 34th birthday, the WBC heavyweight champion announced plans to exit the sport.

"Massive thanks to everyone who had an input in my career over the years," he wrote on Instagram on Friday.

"After long, hard conversations I've finally decided to walk away and on my 34th birthday I say bon voyage."

Fury originally announced he would leave the sport following a sixth-round knockout of Dillian Whyte at Wembley Stadium in April, and has won 32 of his 33 professional bouts, registering one draw against Deontay Wilder in 2018.

Tyson Fury has conducted another U-turn on his boxing future, announcing his retirement on social media just three days after appearing to confirm plans for a return to the ring.

On Tuesday, Fury revealed he had appointed a new trainer and urged Derek Chisora to accept an offer for a trilogy fight during a series of Instagram posts.

But on his 34th birthday, the WBC heavyweight champion announced plans to exit the sport.

"Massive thanks to everyone who had an input in my career over the years," he wrote on Instagram on Friday.

"After long, hard conversations I've finally decided to walk away and on my 34th birthday I say bon voyage."

Fury originally announced he would leave the sport following a sixth-round knockout of Dillian Whyte at Wembley Stadium in April, and has won 32 of his 33 professional bouts, registering one draw against Deontay Wilder in 2018.

Barcelona have activated a fourth economic lever in a bid to ensure their new signings can be registered for LaLiga, announcing the sale of a further 24.5 per cent of their production company for €100million.

The Catalan giants, who have signed the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Jules Kounde, Andreas Christensen and Franck Kessie despite ongoing financial troubles, have reportedly failed to register their new acquisitions for the upcoming league campaign.

President Joan Laporta has been working to raise funds to allow Barca to meet LaLiga's salary limits ahead of the season, and said last week the club had made a "great effort" to do so. 

Last month, 24.5 per cent of Barca Studios was sold to the company Socios.com for €100million, while the Blaugrana have also sold 10 per cent of their LaLiga broadcasting rights to American investment firm Sixth Street, among other measures.

But with reports suggesting the club were still struggling to meet LaLiga's rules, they have announced a second deal for an equivalent stake in Barca Studios.

"FC Barcelona announces the sale of 24.5 per cent of Barca Studios to the company Orpheus Media, managed by Mr Jaume Roures, an audiovisual production company with a long history of producing content, for 100 million euros," read a club statement.

"The agreement complements the one signed on 29 July with Socios.com and will help to accelerate the growth of the club's digital, NFT and Web.3 strategy.

"With this investment the strategic partners in Barca Studios show confidence in the value of the project and the future of digital content in the world of sport."

Reports suggest that while Barca are prioritising the registration of their new signings, they are still eyeing a move for Chelsea's Marcos Alonso, while Manchester City's Bernardo Silva has been touted as another target.

Barca begin their LaLiga campaign when they host Rayo Vallecano on Saturday, though it remains to be seen how many of their new stars can feature.

Barcelona have activated a fourth economic lever in a bid to ensure their new signings can be registered for LaLiga, announcing the sale of a further 24.5 per cent of their production company for €100million.

The Catalan giants, who have signed the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Jules Kounde, Andreas Christensen and Franck Kessie despite ongoing financial troubles, have reportedly failed to register their new acquisitions for the upcoming league campaign.

President Joan Laporta has been working to raise funds to allow Barca to meet LaLiga's salary limits ahead of the season, and said last week the club had made a "great effort" to do so. 

Last month, 24.5 per cent of Barca Studios was sold to the company Socios.com for €100million, while the Blaugrana have also sold 10 per cent of their LaLiga broadcasting rights to American investment firm Sixth Street, among other measures.

But with reports suggesting the club were still struggling to meet LaLiga's rules, they have announced a second deal for an equivalent stake in Barca Studios.

"FC Barcelona announces the sale of 24.5 per cent of Barca Studios to the company Orpheus Media, managed by Mr Jaume Roures, an audiovisual production company with a long history of producing content, for 100 million euros," read a club statement.

"The agreement complements the one signed on 29 July with Socios.com and will help to accelerate the growth of the club's digital, NFT and Web.3 strategy.

"With this investment the strategic partners in Barca Studios show confidence in the value of the project and the future of digital content in the world of sport."

Reports suggest that while Barca are prioritising the registration of their new signings, they are still eyeing a move for Chelsea's Marcos Alonso, while Manchester City's Bernardo Silva has been touted as another target.

Barca begin their LaLiga campaign when they host Rayo Vallecano on Saturday, though it remains to be seen how many of their new stars can feature.

Jurgen Klopp dismissed the idea that Liverpool were set to benefit from favourable fixture scheduling as clubs across the United Kingdom prepare to contend with soaring temperatures.

While the rest of the Premier League will battle it out in stifling heat over the weekend, Klopp's team will host Crystal Palace in far cooler conditions on Monday night.

The Reds boss conceded it was preferable to play in the evening, but underlined the fact that Palace have the same comfort.

"It's much better to play at nighttime than at these other times, but for Crystal Palace it's the same advantage," he said.

"It's much more comfortable to play, of course, but it shouldn't be a comfortable game. It should be really busy."

When it was subsequently suggested his side had gained an advantage courtesy of the scheduling, an irritated Klopp replied: "This is what you take out of my answer, that we were helped by the fixture list?

"It's fortunate for both teams, it makes it a fair competition again. If we only had to play at night and Crystal Palace had to play in the heat, at 30 degrees or whatever, that would be a real advantage.

"But it's just a game at night."

Liverpool will be seeking to bounce back from a disappointing opening-game draw at Fulham, which put them immediately on the back foot in what is likely to be another two-horse race for the title, with Manchester City seizing the early initiative.

 

 

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has expressed doubt that the club will sign a new midfielder before the close of the transfer window, though he hinted it was something he had previously considered.

The Reds' push for the Premier League title got off to a slow start on the opening weekend as they had to come from behind twice in a 2-2 draw against newly promoted Fulham.

Thiago Alcantara limped off during that game, joining fellow midfielders Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on the sidelines – though Klopp revealed that Keita will return for Monday's trip to Crystal Palace.

With options limited, recent reports have linked Liverpool with Sporting midfielder Matheus Nunes, while the Reds have been attributed with long-term interest in Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham.

Further additions in the market are unlikely, however, with Klopp stating that "conversations" have already taken place and that the "right solutions" are not available.

"I'm happy with the size and quality of my squad, but we have injuries. It's a question of how long the players will be out, there are different solutions for it," he told a news conference.

"One of them is the transfer market, but it only makes sense if you can bring in the right player, not just a player, if it was the right player it would make sense.

"But we actually would have done that from the first day of the transfer window, from the first day of the pre-season, in some cases it's just not possible and in other cases it's extremely difficult. If something is not possible, why should I consider it?

"All of the other solutions are inside the squad. At the moment, we have too many injuries, that's clear. We have a couple of boys coming back, Naby will be back for Monday and Kostas [Tsimikas] will train today for the first time, so he might be back as well.

"That's the situation. I understand the questions but if there were the right solutions, we would have done it already. We're not stubborn or whatever, it's just that it's not the right thing to do.

"People told me at the start of the season that we lack a specific kind of midfielder, I didn't understand that because if you search for specific things, then you always lack something. 

"If there was the right player and if there was the opportunity, then we would have done it, we would do it, but I don't see it because we've had a lot of conversations already and it doesn't look like something that will happen."

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