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The latest instalment of the Battle of the Bridge gets started tonight, with Tottenham travelling to London rivals Chelsea.
Despite their mega-money spending in the summer, Spurs have endured a sluggish start to the Premier League campaign, with Roberto De Zerbi's side finally getting off the mark with a win against Coventry on Monday night.
They will have to be at their best to stop Xabi Alonso's high-flying Blues, who earned a gritty 2-0 win at Everton last Saturday - an opponent they have notoriously struggled to get points from on the road.
So, with a combined squad value of roughly £1.6billion, which 11 players make our combined XI ahead of Saturday night's grudge match? Stats gurus SofaScore have crunched the numbers and given their verdict.
Sofascore rating 6.49/10
Antonin Kinsky gets the nod in goal, even if he has had a difficult time at Tottenham.
His debut in the Champions League away to Atletico Madrid last season saw him make two massive errors leading to goals which resulted in him being substituted after only 17 minutes.
Since then, Kinsky has become Spurs’ No1, a position that has been solidified further after Guglielmo Vicario’s summer move to Juventus.
Kinsky has only kept two clean sheets in all competitions this season for Tottenham, but Emi Martinez suffered a head injury at Everton and is absent, while it's too early to judge Mike Penders, so the Czech stopper gets the nod.
Sofascore rating: 6.92/10
One of two Chelsea representatives in the back four is Wesley Fofana, who has shown his versatility this season.
Chelsea have conceded six goals in the three matches Fofana has started though, so his presence in this combined XI highlights how poor both teams have been defensively at the start of this campaign.
Chelsea have conceded 13 goals in the Premier League overall, more than 13 other sides, and that is a record that Xabi Alonso will want to address as soon as possible.
Sofascore rating: 7.63/10
Jan Paul van Hecke, an international team-mate of Micky van de Ven, moved to north London from Brighton in the summer, and there is no doubt he is still trying to find his feet, although he has featured in all of Tottenham’s Premier League matches so far this season.
He is also one of six Spurs players to have scored a goal – a reflection of where Tottenham are in terms of going forward, rather than Van Hecke’s finishing skills.
Sofascore rating 6.87/10
Alongside his fellow Dutchman is Van de Ven, even though Spurs have shipped 10 goals in the league.
Van de Ven has been a regular feature for Tottenham this season, playing 466 minutes in the Premier League and, following Spurs' victory against Coventry on Monday, he should be in good spirits heading into this one.
Sofascore rating 6.73/10
Perhaps helped by injuries to Tottenham left-backs Andy Robertson and Destiny Udogie, Jorrel Hato takes this spot in the XI.
Despite Chelsea's defensive deficiencies, Hato continues to improve and appears to be in Alonso's first-choice XI ahead of Pep Chavarria right now.
Sofascore: 7.53/10
Following on from the disappointment of not making England’s World Cup squad, Cole Palmer has started this season impressively, so there will be no surprise he is in this XI.
The Englishman seems to be thriving under new coach Xabi Alonso, playing over 600 minutes in the league.
He will be looking to continue his fine form after an injury-plagued campaign in 2025-26 where he often looked short of confidence and match sharpness.
So far this term, Palmer has scored two goals and added three assists.
Sofascore rating: 7.31/10
The final Spurs player to feature in this team is £100m summer signing Sandro Tonali.
The Italian has grown into the campaign, even though Spurs’ Premier League position doesn’t indicate it.
Tonali has featured seven times so far this season, registering one assist and he will be hoping that he can develop into a talisman for Roberto De Zerbi over the next few months.
Sofascore rating 7.16/10
Valentin Barco signed for Chelsea in the summer from Strasbourg on a contract running all the way to 2033.
Barco reached the World Cup final with Argentina, although his run-in with Jude Bellingham during and after the semi-final made him the bad boy in England’s eyes.
Barco has featured in three Premier League matches, and twice in the EFL Cup - and it is his displays in that competition, including a goal and assist in the 6-3 win over Leeds - that have earned him a place in this side.
Sofascore rating: 7.48/10
It's no surprise that Rogers makes the team following his then-British-record £117m transfer from Aston Villa.
Rogers, 24, has built upon what was a breakout couple of years at Villa Park, which included his first major tournament with England over the summer.
Since scoring on his debut for Chelsea, things couldn’t have gone much better at his new club.
Sitting on four goals already, Rogers is among the top scorers in the league. He will be looking to improve upon the 16 goal involvements he had last season as Chelsea aim to get back into Europe.
Sofascore rating: 7.19/10
On the back of his match-winning brace against Everton last weekend, Neto rightfully gets in this team.
He had a disappointing goal output last season, scoring just five times in the league, but Neto is another Chelsea star who is benefiting from Alonso’s style of play.
The Portuguese international has three goals and one assist so far this season in just six starts.
Sofascore rating; 7.54/10
Completing the Chelsea front three is their No 9 Joao Pedro. Like Palmer, the Brazilian had a point to prove this season after not being selected to represent his nation at the World Cup.
Carlo Ancelotti surprisingly selected Neymar and Endrick over Pedro, who netted 15 goals in the Premier League last season despite the Blues enduring a turbulent campaign.
He has started this league season well, with only Erling Haaland having scored more goals than his five so far.
It is a no brainer to have him in this team, especially considering the issues at Tottenham in the attacking department.
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