Tottenham Hotspur will want to ensure they end the London derby on Saturday with 11 players on the pitch, and they will be relieved by the official who has been put in charge of Chelsea vs Spurs.

Spurs finally got over the line and registered their first league win of the season at the seventh time of asking on Monday.

The result has seen Tottenham move out of the relegation zone for the first time this campaign and has taken some pressure off Roberto De Zerbi and his players.

The Lilywhites will be keen to build on that positive result, but they face a very difficult challenge next, as they travel to Stamford Bridge, a stadium where they have a shocking record historically.

Tottenham’s Premier League record at Stamford Bridge

Chris Kavanagh will referee Chelsea v Tottenham

Chelsea v Tottenham is always a tense game, and the London derby is no stranger to hard tackles and altercations, with the Battle of the Bridge still being remembered vividly by both sets of supporters 10 years on.

With Rodrigo Bentancur already suspended following his red card at Old Trafford, De Zerbi will be keen not to see any of their players lose their heads and suffer the same fate.

Tottenham fans will be pleased to hear that Chris Kavanagh has been announced as the referee for the London derby.

Kavanagh has taken charge of 22 Spurs matches in his career, out of which Tottenham have won 11, drawn six and lost just five.

Interestingly, he has only shown 34 yellow cards to Spurs players across those 22 matches, which averages to just 1.5 yellow cards per game. He has also never sent off a Tottenham player.

Those numbers demonstrate that Kavanagh is generally hesitant to bring out his notebook. However, the 41-year-old has sent off two Chelsea players out of the 27 times he has taken charge of the Blues.

Spurs cannot afford defensive lapses against Chelsea

Chelsea are far from unbeatable and have looked susceptible at the back all season. Despite being in the top four, the only team in the top half of the table with more goals conceded than Chelsea’s 13 is Ipswich Town. Even Tottenham have only conceded 10 times down in 16th.

However, they have one of the most dangerous attacks in the division, with Cole Palmer, Morgan Rodgers and Joao Pedro all capable of making something out of nothing.

The Tottenham backline needs to be switched on and cannot afford lapses in concentration like we have seen on a few occasions this season.