John Terry has clashed with Jamie O’Hara ahead of the upcoming Tottenham clash with Chelsea.
Tottenham are set to welcome Chelsea to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the latest edition of the hotly contested London derby.
Chelsea are seemingly favourites to beat Tottenham as Thomas Frank’s side could continue to struggle in home fixtures.
There is every chance that Frank will make plenty of changes to face Chelsea in what will be a true acid test for his early spell in charge of the Lilywhites.
The pre-match needle has already begun on social media and beyond, with Terry and O’Hara clashing live on air a key example of the tension.
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John Terry slams Jamie O’Hara in Tottenham jibe
Tottenham and Chelsea are looking ahead to a Premier League meeting that could end with the latter on level points with Spurs, or could see the N17 club move six clear of the Blues.
At this stage of the season, that sort of gap could already prove to be decisive at the end of the campaign when it comes to a top-four race.
Both qualified for the Champions League last season and are competing on multiple fronts, advancing further into the campaign.
That has only stepped up the bitterness of the rivalry, sparking O’Hara to slam the Stamford Bridge outfit live via talkSPORT on 31 October.
He said: “What are Chelsea? Do you know what I mean? They’re big because of Roman Abramovich, aren’t they?
“Fair play to them, they spent loads of money, they bought the league a couple of times, but their big game is Tottenham. We don’t even care about that.“
Terry was seemingly angered by the situation and sent a voice note to his former Aston Villa teammate, Gabby Agbonlahor, to question his co-host.
The former Chelsea skipper said: “What on earth is he on about this morning, O’Hara? Even using those two words together, Spurs and globally, should never be in the same sentence ever, ever again.
“Mate, they’re still doing their pre-season tours around North London. Absolutely ridiculous.“
Chelsea dominate Tottenham in historical meetings
O’Hara may have criticised the Blues for a lack of history before Abramovich’s revolution in West London, but Spurs have typically struggled against them.
The first meeting between the two teams dates back to 1909, and Chelsea secured a 2-1 victory that set the tone for the following 116 years.
Tottenham have won just 54 of the 174 meetings, while their London rivals have secured 80 victories, highlighting the historical gulf in quality.
Frank and Co. will be hopeful of making it 55 successes as his side prepares to play host to the 175th addition of this fixture.
Enzo Maresca will be there to try to halt any progress in N17, making for an interesting clash.