Gianfranco Zola: Chelsea can win the Premier League

Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola has praised his former club for their start to the season. The London club currently sit top of the Premier League on 28 points. Zola, who played 229 games for the Blues, also praised the impact of manager Antonio Conte, who took over at Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2016.

Chelsea welcome Tottenham Hotspur to Stamford Bridge on Saturday (26 November) in what is a highly anticipated London derby following the ill tempered clash at Stamford Bridge last season, which saw the Blues end Spurs title hopes after they secured a 2-2 draw.

Where to watch live

Kick-off is set for 5.30pm GMT. Live coverage of the game will be available on BT Sport 1 and BT Sport 1 HD.

Overview

Chelsea come into this fixture as the form team in the Premier League, they have won their last six games to put themselves at the top of the league one point ahead of Liverpool and Manchester City in the second and third respectively. Their last loss came in another London derby against Arsenal, after which the manager shifted to the 3-4-3 formation, which has been key to their success in recent weeks.

Antonio Conte has a fully fit squad to choose from for the game against Tottenham, but is likely to stick to the same lineup that has been successful in the last six games. Cesc Fabregas, Oscar and summer signing Michy Batshuayi are struggling to get into form, but it also shows the strength and depth the Blues possess.

Tottenham, on the other hand, are the only unbeaten team in the Premier League, but are in fifth place owing to the number of draws they have played already this season. They have drawn six of their 12 games, which has proven costly for them and will be hoping to get back to winning ways against their rivals.

Mauricio Pochettinos team will also have revenge on their minds when they visit Stamford Bridge owing to their ill tempered clash last season. Around 12 players were booked as Chelsea came from 2-0 down to record a 2-2 draw which effectively ended Spurs title challenge and crowned Leicester City champions of England.

Tottenham are also facing an injury crisis in defence as Toby Alderweireld and Danny Rose are unlikely to play on Saturday. The former is out injured, while the latter is serving a one-game ban after he picked up his fifth booking of the season against West Ham United last weekend. The Argentine manager could revert to a three-man defence, similar to the game against Arsenal with Eric Dier playing in central position with Jan Vertonghen and Kyle Walker on either side.

The north London club have not won at Stamford Bridge in 26 years and will be keen to put to bed that record when they visit on Saturday. A win over in-form Chelsea will also make them one of the major contenders for the title this season.

What managers say

Antonio Conte [on Diego Costa and Eden Hazard]: As for Diego Costa, he is one of the best strikers in the world. For us its not just important that hes a goalscorer, but that he works for the team. Edens talent is beyond question, hes a world class player and a great lad. He has a surprising maturity for his age.

Mauricio Pochettino [on Chelsea not playing in Europe]: It is normal that it is an advantage for the opponent if you are a big team like Chelsea and you are not involved in European competition or cups and you have one week to prepare for the game, in this case against Tottenham, and we arrived late and you cannot have a proper one week to prepare.