[스포츠한국 김성수 기자] Son Heung-min (31, Tottenham Hotspur), who is recording his 98th goal in the English Premier League (EPL), will challenge Chelsea, who are in slump, for the ‘100th goal gold medal’.
Tottenham will play a home game against Chelsea in the 25th round of the 2022-2023 EPL at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England at 10:30 pm on the 26th (Korean time).
The first confrontation of the season between the two teams, which ended in a 2-2 draw on August 15 last year, became a hot topic as it unfolded from the ‘hair incident’ between Christian Romero and Marc Cucurella to a battle of nerves between the coaches. It is noteworthy whether Son Heung-min, who showed off perfect chemistry with Harry Kane as a substitute in the previous game, will start and score against Chelsea.
Son Heung-min, who came on as a substitute in the match against West Ham on the 20th under the guidance of head coach Christian Stellini due to Antonio Conte’s post-surgery break problem, proved his worth within 4 minutes of being put in. In the 27th minute of the second half, Son Heung-min, who tried to penetrate the center in a situation where the opponent’s defense was not in order, connected the pass stabbed by Kane to a goal with quick speed and a clean finish. With Stellini scheduled to lead the match against Chelsea, attention is focusing on whether Son Heung-min will be able to score two goals in a row following the momentum.
Although Conte, the ‘commander’, was absent for a while due to health problems, Tottenham (13 wins, 3 draws, 8 losses, 42 points), which regained 4th place by winning the London derby against West Ham, are set to solidify the ‘TOP4’. ‘Ace’ Kane is leading the team’s offense with 17 goals and 2 assists, and Emerson Royale is completely dominating the side with his recently awakened performance. The attacking team, which had a vacancy due to injury, even returned Lucas Moura and established itself as a complete team.
However, the midfield line, where Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bisuma left due to injuries, should be played by Oliver Skip and Pape Sar, centered on Pierre-Emile Hoivier. Can Tottenham, who are trying to win three London derbies in a row after victories over Fulham and West Ham, keep fourth place?
10th place Chelsea (8 wins, 7 draws, 8 losses, 31 points) goes on an away road to Tottenham in the worst atmosphere. Since winning the Champions League match against Dinamo Zagreb in November last year, he has scored only 6 goals in 14 matches (2 wins, 4 draws, 6 losses), 9 of which were goalless. Transfer students such as Joao Felix and Mihailo Mudrik and existing resources such as Raheem Sterling, Mason Mount and Kai Havertz need to work together to change the atmosphere.
Chelsea, who is making the worst performance, has shown a strong appearance against Tottenham. In the last 8 league matches, they have been strong with 6 wins and 2 draws, including 3 wins in away matches. Attention is focusing on whether Chelsea, which is seeking a rebound, will become the first team to win 150 London derby matches since the EPL was founded in 1992 after beating Tottenham.
The league match between Tottenham and Chelsea, which is drawing attention to whether Son Heung-min can score the 100th EPL goal, can be watched on SPOTV ON and SPOTV NOW at 10:30 pm.