Chelsea will play host to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday in what promises to be an enthralling battle between two clubs at the top of the 2020-21 English Premier League standings.
The Blues moved to the summit of the league table for a few hours this past weekend after beating Newcastle United 2-0 for a third successive win.
Chelsea have since dropped down to third but remain just two points behind Spurs and Liverpool and will welcome their London rivals having put together a seven-game unbeaten run.
Blues boss Frank Lampard is not getting carried away by his team’s fast start but is happy with the strides made by the club.
“After eight or nine games, it would be easy to get excited about being in a lofty position but I’m not going to smile too much,” Lampard told Chelsea’s website.
“We’re in a decent position but doing that consistently over a big period is the next step for us now.
Lampard added: “The first port of call this year was to close the gap on Manchester City and Liverpool, who have set different levels of consistency through a season.
“We are improving but we cannot get carried away. We have to try to reach those levels but I’m happy with where we’re at right now.”
Spurs manager Jose Mourinho was also quick to dismiss his team’s title challenge following their 2-0 win over City on Saturday. Victory, a fourth in succession, moved the North London club top of the standings as they remain undefeated since an opening day loss to Everton.
“It feels good (to be top), but maybe tomorrow we are second again and honestly that would not be a problem for me, I am just happy with the evolution,” said Mourinho.
“People cannot expect us to come here and after one season we are fighting for the title.
“We are not fighting for the title, we are just fighting to win every match. But we are going to lose matches, we are going to draw matches,” he concluded.
The corresponding fixture last season ended in a 2-1 win for the hosts. Olivier Giroud and Marcos Alonso found the back of the net for Chelsea before an own goal from Antonio Rüdiger.
Chelsea vs Tottenham Hotspur head-to-head statistics:
Matches played: 149
Chelsea wins: 65
Tottenham Hotspur wins: 49
Draws: 35
English Premier League fixtures, matchday 10:
Friday, 27 November
22:00 – Crystal Palace vs Newcastle United
Saturday, 28 November
14:30 – Brighton & Hove Albion vs Liverpool
17:00 – Manchester City vs Burnley
19:30 – Everton vs Leeds United
22:00 – West Brom vs Sheffield United
Sunday, 29 November
16:00 – Southampton vs Manchester United
18:30 – Chelsea vs Tottenham Hotspur
21:15 – Arsenal vs Wolves
Monday, 30 November
19:30 – Leicester City vs Fulham
22:00 – West Ham United vs Aston Villa
