Tottenham Strong XI Faces Chelsea in Sydney Derby
Tottenham’s pre-season tour of Australia and New Zealand ends with a fixture that feels anything but friendly: a London derby against Chelsea, dropped into the vast bowl of Accor Stadium on the other side of the world.
Spurs arrived in Oceania in mid-July and have yet to lose. A controlled 2–0 win over Auckland FC set the tone, followed by a 1–1 draw and eventual 4–2 penalty shootout victory against Sydney FC. Now comes the sharpest test of the trip – and the first-ever meeting between these rivals staged outside England.
Chelsea have already shown their attacking teeth on tour, edging a wild 6-4 win over Western Sydney in their opening game. Goals have flowed at both ends. This one promises the same.
De Zerbi’s balancing act
Roberto De Zerbi goes into the game juggling fitness and rhythm. The Italian must do without James Maddison, who missed training in the build-up and is managing a minor injury. Tottenham will not take risks with one of their creative centrepieces three weeks out from the Premier League kick-off.
Mateus Fernandes is also absent from the starting line-up. The Portuguese midfielder, who sat out the last game against Sydney, is still not ready to start as De Zerbi carefully measures workloads at the end of a long-haul tour. He was not seen in training, underlining the cautious approach.
There is better news elsewhere. Senior figures are back in the fold, adding weight and experience to the squad for this derby under southern-hemisphere lights. Jan Paul van Hecke comes straight into the side, while Kevin Danso is named among the substitutes, ready if needed.
Tottenham’s starting XI vs Chelsea
De Zerbi has opted for a side that blends youth, new faces and established names, but it is no makeshift line-up. It looks competitive, and it looks bold.
Tottenham XI: Kinsky; Gray, Van Hecke, Davies, Robertson; Tonali, Bergvall, Solomon, Gallagher, Tel; Solanke.
On the bench, Spurs carry depth across the pitch:
Subs: Danso, Richarlison, Takai, Dubravka, Donley, Scarlett, Moore, Tyrese Hall, Russell-Denny, Melia, Kyerematen, Yang, Ajayi, Hardy, Williams-Barnett, Byrne, Tingey, Tye Hall.
For both clubs, the stakes are psychological rather than tangible. No trophies, no points – but bragging rights, momentum and the chance to land the first blow of the season in a rivalry that rarely cools.
From Sydney back to north London
When the final whistle sounds at Accor Stadium, Tottenham’s Oceania chapter closes. The squad will fly back to north London, where the tone of pre-season changes again. The long-haul miles give way to more controlled work, sharper sessions and opposition chosen to fine-tune details rather than test jet lag.
Three more friendlies await. Getafe provide one examination, while Hoffenheim face Spurs twice as De Zerbi pushes his side towards Premier League speed. The countdown sits at three weeks.
Tonight in Sydney, though, the equation is simple. Unbeaten tour, derby rivals, a new manager shaping his team under a different sky. How much of the Tottenham that emerges in August will we recognise from this last night in Australia?
