20 October,2012 06:07 AM IST | | AFP
Andre Villas-Boas has warned his old club Chelsea that Tottenham are desperate to end the Blues' unbeaten start to the Premier League season.
Spurs boss Villas-Boas will face Chelsea today for the first time since being sacked by Roman Abramovich in March following a miserable nine-month reign at Stamford Bridge. Though Villas-Boas insists he isn't motivated by thoughts of revenge, he admits his players are relishing the chance to inflict some pain on their London rivals.
Bad blood: Tottenham Hotspur's Scott Parker is restrained as he charges towards Chelsea's John Obi Mikel (right) during their FA Cup semi-final at Wembley Stadium earlier this year. Chelsea won 5-1. Pic/Getty Images
Not only did Chelsea, then managed by Villas-Boas' ex-assistant Roberto Di Matteo, beat Spurs in last season's FA Cup semi-final, but they also denied them a place in the Champions League.
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Spurs finished fourth, which should have guaranteed a Champions League spot, but Chelsea, who came sixth, took the last English berth after winning the competition.
Now a win would move fifth-placed Tottenham within two points of Chelsea, and Villas-Boas said: "There is one thing which has been blown out of proportion but this is not a personal matter.
It is the team, who took this club out of the Champions League, this is the team who prevented this team from playing in the FA Cup final last year. We never know how the game can develop. But certainly, a good game might hopefully give us a chance to go nearer the top, which is what we want."
Chelsea, who have won six of their seven EPL ties this term, will be without suspended captain John Terry, who starts his four-match ban for racially abusing QPR's Anton Ferdinand, after deciding not to appeal against the Football Association's punishment. Frank Lampard is a doubt too with the knee problem. u00a0
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