Chelsea and Tottenham face off in the first London derby of the season, with fans anticipating a fierce contest between two rivals whose encounters rarely disappoint.

Both sides made significant additions over the summer, so it’s time to compare Xabi Alonso and Roberto De Zerbi’s key men and select a combined best XI. To keep things fair, we’ll use a 4-2-3-1 formation for this head-to-head.

We’ll consider all unavailable players, rather than limiting the selection to those missing Saturday’s fixture.

The combined XI

GK: Emi Martinez

Although he won’t be available for his first Chelsea-Tottenham clash, the Argentine gets the nod over Antonín Kinský on the strength of his ability and trophy-winning experience. If selection were based purely on availability, however, Tottenham’s second-choice goalkeeper would edge out Mike Penders.

RB: Pedro Porro

While I have reservations about Porro’s defensive abilities, Josh Acheampong is still developing and has yet to reach his full potential. He is due to return for the clash. However, Porro’s attacking output offers a different dimension, giving him the edge in terms of what he can contribute going forward.

CB: Maxence Lacroix

Chelsea’s standout defender this season and arguably the strongest option across both sides’ struggling back lines. In my opinion, the French international has been Chelsea’s best signing of the summer transfer window, making an immediate impact at the heart of the defence.

CB: Micky van de Ven

Known for his pace, power and last-ditch tackles, he brings an aggressive edge to the defence. Having moved ahead of Hato in the Netherlands pecking order despite playing in an unfamiliar position, he has the ability to give Tottenham a real chance when he is at his best.

LB: Andy Robertson

He may not be the best version of Andy Robertson we’ve seen, but he remains a quality left-back and is currently ahead of Hato, Destiny Udogie and Pep Chavarría. Ask me again next year, though, and my selection might be different.

CM: Moises Ciacedo

He’d probably fit into any Premier League team; he’s that good. His impact since returning to the squad says everything about his quality, showing passing, pressing and intercepting attacks in his play.

CM: Sandro Tonali

This was a tricky choice, with Jordan Henderson’s impact this season and Lucas Bergvall’s potential both tempting options. I went with the Italian for what he offers: a similar profile to Caicedo, albeit with less quality. His pressing is valuable, and his passing is good enough to suit this team. 

Certainly wasn’t going to go for Conor Gallagher.

RW: Estevao

Hasn’t played much this year but Chelsea fans know this player is top quality. In fact, so good, I believe he should be starting some games over Cole Palmer. He has shown in a year of Premier League action that he is better than Mohammed Kudus, Savio or the returning Dejan Kulusevski.

AM: Cole Palmer

When he turns up, he makes it a night to remember. The playmaker endured a difficult campaign last season and started this one brightly, although his form has cooled slightly. Even so, I’d still take Palmer over James Maddison, though Tottenham fans would probably disagree.

LW: Morgan Rogers

Morgan Rogers offers a level of power, ball-carrying ability and end product that Tottenham’s attacking players struggle to match, combining physicality with the creativity to decide games on his own. I mean, come on, what has Mathys Tel done to convince me otherwise.

ST: Joao Pedro

Our Brazilian striker is much better than yours. I’m confident in my argument that he’s the second-best striker in the league, so Dominic Solanke, Omar Marmoush and Richarlison don’t come close.