Cheltenham Festival hero Iroko is set to make his chasing debut at Warwick on Tuesday.
Trained by Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero, the five-year-old was a real improver over hurdles last season and, after a pair of commanding wins at Wetherby, brought up a hat-trick when scoring in the Martin Pipe at the Festival in March.
Iroko then finished off his season by finishing an honourable third when stepped up to Grade One company for the Sefton Novices’ Hurdle during Aintree’s Grand National Festival.
Having skipped a possible return at Cheltenham recently, he will now start off over the larger obstacles in the Stan Mellor Memorial Novices’ Chase, a race won 12 months ago by Paul Nicholls’ Stage Star.
Greenall said: “We’ve always thought chasing would be his game, he’s been schooling really well and we’re looking forward to getting going with him.
“He will want three miles eventually, but we’re just going to start off at two and a half and then go up in trip as the season progresses.”
Iroko is owned by JP McManus, whose famous green and gold hoops are also carried by Greenall and Guerriero’s smart hurdling prospect Jagwar.
The four-year-old recruit from France pushed the highly-regarded Inthewaterside all the way on his UK bow at Aintree last Sunday and is exciting his training team.
“He does everything well at home, is really relaxed and easy to train,” continued Greenall.
“He’s going to probably want a trip and fences in time but we will stay over hurdles for now obviously this season.
“We feel he will come on for the experience and fitness wise, so we were very happy with the performance.”
Jagwar could now be set for an immediate step up in class, with a return to Aintree for the Grade One Formby Novices’ Hurdle (formerly the Tolworth) on the Merseyside track’s new Boxing Day card and Newbury’s Challow Hurdle both possible options.
“There’s a few options for him and we’ll probably wait until Christmas time with him now,” explained Greenall.
“He can go back to Aintree on Boxing Day for the new fixture or there is Newbury that we are looking at, we’ll just have to wait and see how he is.
“We’ll probably step him up (in class) a bit, which is what we did with Iroko – and if he won, then great, but if he doesn’t, then he’s gaining experience along the way.
“We probably won’t just go for a little novice as I don’t think he will learn a lot and we’re not gaining anything. We would probably prefer to go and have a go at a better race.
“Aintree would mean going back in trip but it could easily be fairly soft ground that day, which would be fine.”
Toto Wolff said Mercedes’ worst performance on his watch as team principal shows they are right to make wholesale design changes for next season.
Lewis Hamilton finished eighth at Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix – more than a minute behind race winner Max Verstappen – while George Russell retired with an engine failure while running in 11th.
Far from being any closer to Verstappen’s all-conquering Red Bull, Mercedes were slower than McLaren, Aston Martin, Ferrari and the mid-table Alpine team in Sao Paulo, with Pierre Gasly embarrassing the former world champions when he batted Hamilton and Russell aside.
“It is totally baffling and unacceptable,” said a beleaguered Wolff.
“We are a proper structure, a solid team but that didn’t look like a solid team today. For me personally, it was the worst weekend in 13 years (in Formula One).
“The development of that car has been about putting plasters on something that was not right and it shows that it is so unpredictable that it can swing either side.
“Fundamentally, we will have a different car next year and today proves that is the right thing to do.
“It feels horrible for the whole team. And I wish we could start the new season concentrating on the new car.”
Performances at the previous two rounds had afforded Hamilton and Mercedes hope that they were closing the gap to Red Bull.
Armed with a new floor in Austin two weeks ago, Hamilton finished second before he was disqualified after his Mercedes failed a post-race scrutineering check. He was runner-up again in Mexico seven days later, this time with a legal car, 14 sec adrift of Verstappen.
But the Silver Arrows were dealt a grizzly reality check at Interlagos – a venue where they expected to perform well after Russell claimed Mercedes’ sole victory there last season.
Wolff continued: “It’s baffling. From having a really quick and balanced car and drivers really happy, to a nightmare. How is that possible?
“I wouldn’t be surprised if we analyse the cars in the next few days and we find out that there is a mechanical issue in the way we set them up.”
Russell was forced to park his machine with 12 laps remaining but the Englishman hopes Mercedes’ abysmal performance was track specific – with rounds to follow in Las Vegas in a fortnight before the concluding race in Abu Dhabi on November 26.
“It was a mind-boggling weekend to understand,” said Russell. “We had high expectations heading into this weekend and we had absolutely no pace at all.
“There are so many question marks. It is the same car that we have had for the last five races which has been capable of podiums.
“This is clearly a substantial one-off event, but we need to understand what we got wrong because right now, we don’t really know.”
What the papers say
Luton are hoping to sign Ecuadorian midfielder Oscar Zambrano from LDU Quito in January, the Sun reports. The 19-year-old would have to waive 15 per cent of his £5.5million fee, or Luton could fork out to cover the cost. Zambrano came through the same football academy as Ecuador and Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo.
Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has refused to rule out a return to his former club Tottenham in the future, the Mirror reports. The Argentinian said he is open to the idea of returning to the club one day.
Social media round-upPlayers to watch
Ben White: Arsenal are reportedly set to offer the English defender a large pay rise as they look to secure his future at the club, Football Insider reports.
Piotr Zielinski: Liverpool and West Ham are interested in Napoli’s 29-year-old Polish midfielder, according to Teamtalk. His contract expires in summer.
A 30-point triple-double from LaMelo Ball was not enough to get the Charlotte Hornets across the line against the Dallas Mavericks.
Ball scored 23 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter of Charlotte’s 124-118 defeat, to go along with 10 rebounds and 13 assists.
A quiet start from Luka Doncic allowed the Hornets to gain an early advantage, but the Slovenian eventually found his groove to lead the Mavericks’ second-half comeback.
He finished with 23 points, while Kyrie Irving added 18.
The Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 112-100 on the back of Desmond Bane’s 30-point effort.
The visitors left it until late, launching a 24-point comeback in the final quarter to pick up their first win of the season.
Jerami Grant top-scored for Portland with 27.
The Phoenix Suns snapped a three-game losing streak with a 120-106 win over the Detroit Pistons.
Kevin Durant stepped up in the absence of injured starting duo Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, scoring a season-high 41 points in the 14-point victory.
The Cleveland Cavaliers surprised the Golden State Warriors 115-104, while Scottie Barnes scored 30 points to lead the Toronto Raptors over the San Antonio Spurs 123-116.
Donovan Mitchell led the way with 31 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers earned their first regular-season victory over the Golden State Warriors in nearly seven years with Sunday's 115-104 win.
Mitchell finished 11 of 19 from the field and added seven assists to help Cleveland snap a 16-game losing streak in the series, which included five losses to the Warriors in the NBA Finals.
The Cavaliers' first regular-season win over Golden State since Christmas Day of 2016 also snapped the Warriors' run of five straight victories since a season-opening loss to the Phoenix Suns.
Darius Garland added 24 points and Evan Mobley compiled 13 points and 16 rebounds in the Cavs' second win in three games following a 1-3 start to the season.
Mitchell recorded 17 points in the first half and Garland had 13 by the break as Cleveland took a 57-45 lead into the intermission, then never trailed in the second half.
Stephen Curry went 7 of 11 from 3-point range and amassed 28 points in the Warriors' first defeat in five road games this season.
Raptors come back from 22 points down to stun Spurs in overtime
Scottie Barnes scored 17 of his game-high 30 points in the fourth quarter to lead a furious second-half rally that catapulted the Toronto Raptors to a 123-116 overtime win over the San Antonio Spurs.
Toronto trailed by 22 points late in the first half and faced an 86-71 deficit after three quarters, but outscored the Spurs by a 23-10 margin to begin the fourth. Barnes later tied the contest at 108-108 with a 3-pointer with 37.9 seconds left in regulation, though Keldon Johnson put San Antonio back ahead with two free throws on the ensuing possession before the Raptors' OG Anunoby forced overtime with a putback with just 1.2 seconds remaining.
The Raptors then opened overtime with an 8-2 run to take the lead for good.
Anunoby and Dennis Schröder each finished with 24 points for Toronto, with Anunoby going 7 of 13 on 3-point tries. Barnes finished 5 of 10 from beyond the arc to go along with 11 rebounds, six assists, three steals and three blocks.
Rookie sensation VIctor Wembanyama had 20 points, nine rebounds and five blocks for San Antonio, which also received 26 points from Johnson and 21 points and 11 rebounds from Zach Collins.
Grizzlies rally past Trail Blazers for elusive first win
Desmond Bane scored 30 points and the Memphis Grizzlies overcame a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter to earn a 112-100 win over the Portland Trail Blazers for their first victory of the season.
Memphis, which posted the second-best record in the Western Conference last season at 51-31, opened the 2023-24 campaign with six straight losses and looked on the way towards a seventh with Portland owning a 98-86 lead with eight minutes remaining.
The Grizzlies held the Blazers without a field goal the rest of the way, however, as they closed the game on a 26-2 run. Bane had nine points and Jaren Jackson Jr. totalled seven during the game-ending spurt.
Jackson finished with 27 points and seven rebounds and Luke Kennard contributed 15 points off the bench for Memphis.
Jerami Grant led Portland with 27 points and both Malcolm Brogdon and Shaedon Sharpe had 18 in the loss. Brogdon added 11 assists and seven rebounds.
Ronnie O’Sullivan announced his decision to step away from snooker due to personal reasons on this day in 2012.
The star’s self-imposed exile did not last long and he would return for the season-ending World Championship and win it.
World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn said at the time: “I have spoken to Ronnie and he has decided to withdraw from any events he has entered, and he will not be playing for the rest of this season. He has some personal issues which he needs to resolve and we wish him all the best for the future.”
In May 2012, after winning his fourth world title, O’Sullivan said he intended to take some time away from the sport.
“I don’t intend to stay in the game long, even though I feel in a lot better place,” he said. “I’ve made that decision and this might – I’m not saying it is – be my last time in this tournament.”
Just a few months later, in 2013, he won a fifth world title – beating Barry Hawkins – although O’Sullivan had to wait seven years for a sixth, before adding a seventh in 2022.
O’Sullivan has continued his hints at retirement having repeatedly said he had fallen out of love with the game but just last year reiterated his focus.
He said: “I feel like I’ve got life in perspective – I spent enough years getting disappointed by the game. I thought let’s try not to get disappointed and it’s freed me up a bit.
“I’m still competitive. If I take up anything I want to be better, it’s just natural and I’ll never lose that, so the players can expect me to keep coming for more.”
The Anaheim Ducks struck for four unanswered goals in the third period to rally for a 4-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday, which extended their winning streak to six games and gave the defending Stanley Cup champions their first regulation loss of the season.
Sam Carrick scored two goals and Mason McTavish had the tie-breaking tally with 3:40 left to play as the Ducks snapped Vegas' 12-game point streak to begin its Stanley Cup title defence. The Golden Knights began the season on an 11-0-1 run and hadn't lost in regulation in a regular-season game since March 28 of last season, going 16-0-4 since that defeat prior to Sunday's setback.
Anaheim's winning streak is the franchise's longest since an eight-game run from Oct. 31-Nov. 16, 2021. The Ducks have missed the playoffs in each of the five previous seasons.
The Knights looked to be on the way towards another win after Ivan Barbashev scored in the first period and Jack Eichel did so in the second to build a 2-0 lead entering the final stanza.
Adam Henrique gave the Ducks renewed life, however, with a power-play goal just 1:38 into the third period.
After Carrick's first goal of the night tied the score with 9:05 remaining, McTavish beat Vegas goaltender Logan Thompson with a one-timer less than 5 1/2 minutes later to put Anaheim ahead.
Carrick later sealed the victory with an empty-net score with 1:09 left.
John Gibson aided the Ducks' comeback with 30 saves, while Thompson stopped 19 of 22 shots in defeat.
Devils bounce back with win over Blackhawks
Dawson Mercer and Max Willman scored first-period goals to help the New Jersey Devils get back on track with a 4-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks.
New Jersey had a three-game winning streak snapped with Friday's 4-1 loss at St. Louis, then fell behind early in this one when former Devil Taylor Hall gave Chicago a 1-0 lead just 1:51 into the contest.
Mercer and Willman scored just 1:34 apart later in the opening period, however, and Curtis Lazar extended the lead by redirecting teammate John Marino's shot past Blackhawks' netminder Arvid Soderblom 4:35 into the third.
Ryan Donato's goal with 4:46 remaining got Chicago within 3-2, but Michael McLeod scored into an empty net in the closing seconds to seal the Devils' sixth win in eight games.
Soderblom finished with 36 saves, while Vitek Vanecek stopped 32 shots for New Jersey.
Blackhawks rookie Connor Bedard, the No. 1 overall pick of this year's draft, was held without a point after registering a goal in each of the team's previous three games.
Iga Swiatek has moved a step closer to reclaiming the world number one spot with a straight-sets victory over Aryna Sabalenka in the WTA Finals.
Swiatek, the world number two, claimed her 67th win of the year and her 10th win in a row in the 6-3 6-2 victory against the current number one Sabalenka on Sunday in Mexico.
The match, which began on Saturday, was suspended after the fourth game due to wet weather which has featured consistently throughout the tournament.
When it resumed on Sunday, Swiatek broke Sabalenka in the first game back and went on to take the win in just over 90 minutes.
“I’m really, really happy, I think that was the toughest and nicest match that I have played here,” Swiatek said after the match.
The 22-year-old from Poland went unbroken throughout the match and won more than 75 per cent of her service points.
She will meet world number five Jessica Pegula in the final on Monday for a chance to finish the year as the world number one.
It only took an hour for Pegula to beat her doubles partner and fellow American Coco Gauff on Saturday in a 6-2 6-1 win to continue her exceptional tournament form.
Both Pegula and four-time grand slam winner Swiatek have gone through the tournament undefeated with neither player dropping a single set.
Real Madrid were unable to reclaim top spot in LaLiga as Carlo Ancelotti’s men drew 0-0 at home with derby rivals Rayo Vallecano.
The stalemate at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu leaves second-placed Real two points behind table-toppers Girona, and two ahead of Barcelona in third.
Athletic Bilbao are fifth after surviving a late Villarreal fightback to win 3-2 at El Madrigal, where Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta, Nico Williams and Inaki Williams had the visitors three goals up inside the opening half an hour.
Gerard Moreno and Alexander Sorloth scored in quick succession late on but Athletic held on.
A Pepelu penalty gave Valencia a 1-0 home win over second-bottom Granada, and it was the same scoreline as Alaves beat basement boys Almeria.
Juventus are two points behind Serie A leaders Inter Milan in second place after Fabio Miretti’s 10th-minute effort proved the difference in a 1-0 win at Fiorentina.
Roma pulled off a dramatic victory over Lecce at the Stadio Olimpico as two stoppage-time goals saw them come from behind to triumph 2-1.
Sardar Azmoun drew Jose Mourinho’s men level in the first minute of added time, cancelling out Pontus Almqvist’s goal, before Romelu Lukaku – who had had an early penalty saved by Wladimir Falcone – netted the winner three minutes later.
Lorenzo Colombo notched a brace as Monza won 3-1 at Hellas Verona, who are now in the relegation zone, with Cagliari moving out with a 2-1 home win over Genoa.
Nice returned to the top of Ligue 1, a point above second-placed Paris St Germain, with a 2-0 home victory over Rennes that saw both sides reduced to 10 men.
Jeremie Boga opened the scoring and a Steve Mandanda own goal added to that late on, not long after Youssouf Ndayishimiye had been sent off for the hosts and Warmed Omari then followed suit for Rennes.
Monaco are a point behind PSG in third after beating Brest 2-0 at the Stade Louis II, Denis Zakaria and Aleksandr Golovin getting the goals before Lilian Brassier was dismissed for the away side in stoppage time.
Reims are up to fourth after a Junya Ito goal earned them a 1-0 win at Nantes.
Rock-bottom Lyon secured a 1-1 draw at home against 16th-placed Metz thanks to Skelly Alvero’s late goal, while Le Havre won 2-1 at Toulouse and Strasbourg and second-bottom Clermont drew 0-0.
In the Bundesliga, third-placed Stuttgart suffered a second successive defeat, losing 2-0 at Heidenheim with Jan Schoppner and Tim Kleindienst on the scoresheet, and Wolfsburg were held 2-2 at home by Werder Bremen.
Real Madrid failed to return to the top of LaLiga after being held to a goalless draw by city rivals Rayo Vallecano.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side need to take all three points to edge ahead of Girona on goal difference, but could not break down their stubborn opponents despite dominating possession at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.
Vinicius Jr did have the ball in the net midway through the second half, only for his effort to be ruled out due to Joselu being offside in the build-up.
Rayo Vallecano have now gone eight games without defeat in LaLiga, although six of those have been draws, and they never threatened to claim a first win at the Bernabeu since 1996.
The home side should have taken the lead with just five minutes gone when Federico Valverde pounced on a loose pass to surge into the area, only for the Uruguay international to hit his shot straight at goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski.
Bellingham, who was presented with his LaLiga player of the month award for October before kick-off, had a shot blocked from the resulting corner but soon had the Real fans holding their breath as he landed awkwardly on his left shoulder after attempting to chest the ball to a team-mate.
The 20-year-old looked in severe pain as he received treatment for more than two minutes, but was thankfully able to continue.
An uncharacteristic mistake from Luke Modric gifted the visitors a rare sight of goal on 15 minutes, only for Alvaro Garcia to drag his left-footed effort badly wide and the action soon switched back to the other end as Joselu sent a glancing header wide from a Modric corner.
Joselu and Fran Garcia both had shots off target before the former brought a superb save out of Dimitrievski with a first-time effort after being set up by Vinicius, while Bellingham produced a deft turn on the edge of area to beat two defenders before firing over the bar.
Vinicius should have opened the scoring almost immediately after the restart but failed to connect with a delightful cross from Modric, who curled the ball to the back post with the outside of his right foot.
And when Vinicius finally did find the target on 66 minutes the goal was disallowed due to Joselu being in an offside position when he flicked the ball on to his team-mate.
The home side continued to press forward but Dimitrievski was forced into action on few occasions and easily gathered a tame effort from substitute Rodrygo in the third of seven minutes of added time.
Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou has plenty of admiration for Mauricio Pochettino’s appetite to take on a “big challenge” but has suggested he would never allow others to take complete control of recruitment.
Pochettino’s Chelsea visit Spurs on Monday with the west London club struggling for a second consecutive season despite an outlay of £1billion since Todd Boehly took over with his Clearlake Capital consortium last year.
While Pochettino has failed to hit the ground running and acknowledged at the end of September he would “need to be more involved now” with regard to the January transfer window, it is a different story for Postecoglou and his summer transfers.
“I haven’t come across him,” Postecoglou said of the former Spurs manager.
“From afar, great admiration. I think the impact he had at Southampton and at Spurs is unquestionable.
“He has taken on some pretty big challenges post-Spurs as well, which I’m all for. I like managers who take on big challenges, so great admiration and respect for his work.”
Paris St Germain was Pochettino’s destination after his departure from Tottenham, but a plethora of signings under his watch were made by PSG sporting director Leonardo.
This summer Chelsea spent more than £350million during Pochettino’s first transfer window, although he has been left with a bloated squad of big-money additions which lack experience.
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By contrast Tottenham’s Guglielmo Vicario, Micky van de Ven and James Maddison have quickly settled and Postecoglou said recruitment is a big factor for him, especially at the start of his tenure.
He added: “Wherever I’ve been, I’ve made sure that I have the biggest say over recruitment. I don’t do all the work, but I really think it’s an important part of my function and particularly when I first go into clubs.
“When you first go into a club, there are two measures that people will always put up against you.
“One is the results, that tells its own tale, but as a manager, and I’ve certainly had that experience, you can’t always guarantee the results early on.
“The other thing you get measured on is the people you bring in. Because at least if the results aren’t there, then people will say ‘okay, there’s something building here’.
“From my perspective, it’s the one area I really want strong control over.”
Spurs’ new technical director Johan Lange started work at the club on Wednesday and Postecoglou has already spent time with the ex-Aston Villa transfer guru, but a day earlier his focus was elsewhere.
Postecoglou and his wife Georgia were opening-night guests of Sir Kenneth Branagh on Tuesday at Wyndham’s Theatre to witness Shakespeare’s King Lear, a tale of a king seeking love from his three daughters, which ends in devastation.
The Aussie enjoyed the play but is eager for a different ending on Monday night.
“Sir Kenneth is a big Spurs fan and was kind enough to invite my wife and I to the theatre the other night,” Postecoglou revealed.
“We enjoyed it. I did have to swot up on King Lear. It wasn’t part of the curriculum at Prahran High!
“You always learn from life and the appreciation of seeing people excel at what they do is inspiring. You walk out of there thinking, ‘I don’t know how they do it’.
“Sir Kenneth was good after it. I caught up with him briefly, he was very kind with his time.
“He was all over how it’s going and gave me some little bits of advice, which I’ll ignore like he’ll ignore my advice on acting, mate! It was good. It was much appreciated.
“There was a fair bit going on in that play, mate! I definitely want a better ending than Sir Kenneth had.”
Pep Guardiola hopes anger at missing out can fuel more sensational performances like that of Jeremy Doku at the weekend.
Doku took centre stage as Manchester City thrashed Bournemouth 6-1 to return to the top of the Premier League on Saturday, opening the scoring and setting up four other goals.
That came after Jack Grealish was preferred to him for last week’s derby victory over Manchester United, and manager Guardiola now wants the England midfielder, in turn, to come back firing.
Guardiola said: “I want Jack angry and I want him to play good, and then Doku – be angry that he hasn’t played the last two games. This is the way to maintain the consistency at that level.”
Grealish has had a frustrating start to the season after missing a month due to a dead leg, but Guardiola has no doubt he will get back to his best.
“Jack is back,” he said. “The way he played at Old Trafford, to give us more composure and more powers in that position, it was decisive for us.
“We need everyone. There are a lot of games and everyone has to compete.
“As much as Jeremy and Jack perform, and I can play both at the same time, but when they don’t, train better the next day because the moment is coming, and when you are mentally there in the head you will perform well.
“Then we will win games and you will be happy and everyone will be happy. This is what we have to do.”
City will check on the fitness of star striker Erling Haaland ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League clash against Young Boys. The Norwegian was removed at half-time on Saturday after twisting his ankle.
Guardiola was pleased his side managed to score six without any contribution from the prolific Haaland but admits he wants him back as soon as possible.
He said: “It’s good that Jeremy has this threat to score goals and Bernardo (Silva) and Phil (Foden). We know it.
“I know Mateo (Kovacic) is not a goalscorer, but we have now more players involved, with and without Erling – but I want Erling on the pitch.”
Holders City cans secure their place in the Champions League knockout stages for an 11th successive year with victory over the Swiss side this week.
Guardiola said: “It’s so important, more than you can imagine, because we can park the car until February and focus on the Premier League and others. We have to close it on Tuesday.”
Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino is confident he will not repeat Ron Atkinson’s Mr Bean-esque gaffe of standing in the wrong dugout on his return to Tottenham.
‘Big Ron’ unwittingly provided entertainment at the City Ground in 1999 when he mistakenly took his place in front of the away team’s bench in his first match since being appointed Nottingham Forest manager.
Pochettino was asked about that famous blunder ahead of going back to Spurs on Monday evening but initially confused veteran boss Atkinson with near-namesake Rowan Atkinson, creator of comedy character Mr Bean.
Following the brief misunderstanding, the Argentinian, who managed Tottenham between 2014 and 2019, insisted he will not make a similar error as he helped design the layout of his former club’s stadium.
“Ah, Mr Bean? Ron Atkinson is the actor?”, Pochettino replied to the original question, before the mix-up was explained.
“Ah, OK, OK – I was thinking the actor. My wife will kill me! She will say, ‘I told you, remember that is the name’.
“No (I will not make the same mistake). I know very well the away dugout. I know very well because I designed where it was, I was there with the architect.
“On the right is the local (home) and the away is on the left.”
Pochettino is preparing for a special occasion on his first reunion with Tottenham since being sacked four years ago.
He holds fond memories of his spell with the north London club, which included reaching the Champions League final just months before his dismissal.
Despite being desperate for victory, the 51-year-old rejected any notion of seeking revenge in response to the nature of his departure.
Mid-table Chelsea are in great need of points to kickstart their season following just three Premier League wins from 10 games, while unbeaten Tottenham are among the early pacesetters.
“I want to win,” said Pochettino, who arrived at Stamford Bridge in the summer. “I want to beat them.
“But when I play with my kids, I want to beat them, or my dad, or my brothers, or my friends – I try to kill them!
“I want to win because we are competitive, I am competitive.
“It’s not a special thing. I don’t want to go there and (people) think it’s a revenge. For what?
“For me, it’s going to be important because we need to win, Chelsea need to win because we need the points.
“But not because it’s special because it’s against Tottenham.”
An early goal from Fabio Miretti proved decisive as Juventus held on for a 1-0 win at Fiorentina on Sunday.
Miretti struck in the 10th minute but Juve also owed much to a strong defensive effort as they claimed a victory that lifted them to within two points of Serie A leaders Inter Milan.
Fiorentina controlled much of the play at the Artemio Franchi Stadium but were unable to find a way past Wojciech Szczesny in the Juve goal.
The game had gone ahead despite some calls for it to be postponed following the storms that have devastated parts of the region in recent days. Players from both teams stood together in tribute to the victims prior to kick-off.
When the game got under way, Juve seized the advantage with their first attack.
Fiorentina’s defence were caught out as the visitors broke with speed and Fabiano Parisi missed a chance to intercept as the ball was slipped to Filip Kostic on the left of the area.
Kostic made the most of the opening and slid a pass across the box which Miretti met with a firm first-time strike at the near post that Pietro Terracciano could not keep out.
The hosts responded well to the setback but continually met with frustration in their attempts to find an equaliser.
Antonin Barak got into a good position but fired well over before Nicolas Gonzalez shot straight at Szczesny.
Gonzalez forced a better save from the former Arsenal goalkeeper with a volley and Cristiano Biraghi tested the Pole with a free-kick before the interval.
Juve tried to break out and make the result safe early in the second half, but Moise Kean was denied by a Luca Ranieri block and Fiorentina continued to dictate the pace.
Rolando Mandragora dragged an effort wide and Giacomo Bonaventura also missed the target with a fierce strike before Szczesny saved from Christian Kouame.
Fiorentina fought to the end but they were unable to create any more clear-cut chances after M’Bala Nzola headed over with three minutes remaining.
Andrea Cambiaso almost added a second for Juve in stoppage time but Terracciano saved.
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