Chelsea: Mike Penders to start against Tottenham
- Chelsea will hand 21-year-old goalkeeper Mike Penders his first Premier League start against Tottenham at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, stepping in while first-choice option Emi Martinez recovers from...
- Mike Penders is set for a run in the team as Martinez recovers from jaw surgery after a collision during last weekend's 2-0 win at Everton.
- Manager Xabi Alonso confirmed that defender Malo Gusto is in contention to return after missing the Everton match, having recovered from illness.
Chelsea will hand 21-year-old goalkeeper Mike Penders his first Premier League start against Tottenham at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, stepping in while first-choice option Emi Martinez recovers from jaw surgery following a collision.
Who is replacing injured goalkeeper Emi Martinez for Chelsea?
Mike Penders is set for a run in the team as Martinez recovers from jaw surgery after a collision during last weekend’s 2-0 win at Everton. Penders previously became Chelsea’s youngest-ever Premier League goalkeeper when he replaced Martinez in the second half on Merseyside. Chelsea loaned out former No1 Robert Sanchez to Como in the summer after signing Martinez from Aston Villa. Alonso confirmed that Martinez will be sidelined for a few weeks following his surgery.
What is the latest Chelsea team news and injury update under Xabi Alonso?
Manager Xabi Alonso confirmed that defender Malo Gusto is in contention to return after missing the Everton match, having recovered from illness. However, Pep Chavarria will remain absent as he continues his recovery from a slight training injury, while summer-signing striker Emmanuel Emegha is still making progress from his own setback and will not make his competitive debut against Spurs. Winger Jamie Gittens also remains sidelined for the next few weeks due to an ankle injury sustained on international duty with England’s Under-21s.
๐จ๐ต ๐ท๐ฌ๐ต๐ซ๐ฌ๐น๐บ ๐บ๐ฌ๐ป ๐ญ๐ถ๐น ๐ญ๐ฐ๐น๐บ๐ป ๐ท๐น๐ฌ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฌ๐น ๐ณ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฎ๐ผ๐ฌ ๐บ๐ป๐จ๐น๐ป!Mike Penders is set to make his first Premier League start this weekend as Chelsea host Tottenham at Stamford Bridge.The 21-year-old stepped in against Everton after Emi Martinez fractured hisโฆ pic.twitter.com/oxyj0LIHtP
— https://x.com/seppchelsea/status/2113502529900143023
How are Tottenham shaping up under Roberto De Zerbi for the Stamford Bridge clash?
Tottenham head coach Roberto De Zerbi reported that Pedro Porro, Andy Robertson, Omar Marmoush, and Dominic Solanke are good to play, though he could be missing up to nine players due to injury when accounting for long-term absentees. Dejan Kulusevski is also being handled with caution after playing his first minutes since May 2025 against Frank Lampardโs side, while Lucas Bergvall and Savio are among the longer-term absentees. De Zerbi’s side will attempt to win at Stamford Bridge for only the second time in 42 matches in all competitions, having not won at the ground since 2018.
What tactical shape and starting lineup are expected for Chelsea?
Alonso is expected to line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation with Penders in goal behind a central defensive trio of Josh Acheampong, Maxence Lacroix, and Levi Colwill. Jordan Henderson and Moises Caicedo are positioned to continue their midfield partnership after back-to-back Premier League victories, while Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro, and ยฃ117 million summer signing Morgan Rogers are projected to start across the front three. Pedro Neto could feature at right wing-back after scoring both goals against Everton.
Match details and betting insights
The fixture takes place on Saturday at 5.30pm and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports. Levi Colwill is priced at 4/1 in the player cards market with Sky Bet, while James Maddison has been responsible for 77 opposition players receiving yellow cards since 2018, working out at one every 215 minutes.