Chelsea have confirmed the appointment of Xabi Alonso, although the Spaniard will not be in the dugout when Tottenham Hotspur travel to Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night.
Chelsea head into the clash with Spurs off the back of a 1-0 defeat to Manchester City in the FA Cup final.
That result means the Premier League’s top eight can now qualify for Europe and, with Chelsea sitting ninth, they can still mathematically reach either the Europa League or Conference League.
Tottenham, meanwhile, remain embroiled in a relegation battle, with just two points currently separating them from London rivals West Ham United.
Spurs simply need to avoid defeat against the Blues to keep survival in their own hands heading into the final game of the season.
Chelsea appoint Xabi Alonso ahead of Tottenham clash
It has certainly been a difficult campaign for Chelsea, who are set to miss out on Champions League qualification.
The Blues’ poor run of form since the dismissal of Enzo Maresca has seen them slip from the top four places down into ninth, while they are now winless in their last seven Premier League outings.
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Ahead of the Tottenham game, Chelsea has now confirmed the appointment of former Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso as manager.
Alonso will replace interim Chelsea boss Calum McFarlane, who took charge from Liam Rosenior a few weeks ago.
However, the Spaniard will not be in the dugout against Spurs, with his appointment set to officially begin on July 1, 2026.
Roberto De Zerbi faces difficult Spurs task at Chelsea
Regardless of who is in the dugout, facing Chelsea is never an easy task for Tottenham. Since the start of the Premier League era, Spurs have managed just one win at Stamford Bridge – the ground they will visit on Tuesday night.
Roberto De Zerbi will now hope to guide Tottenham to a positive result as his side continue their fight for survival. Avoiding defeat could prove crucial with only one game remaining after this fixture.
A draw for Spurs, combined with a defeat for West Ham United this weekend, would secure Tottenham’s Premier League safety before the final matchweek of the season.