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• Maresca warns Chelsea against complacency ahead of Tottenham clash

  Enzo Maresca has warned high-flying Chelsea that "things can change quickly in football" ahead of their London derby against Tottenham in the Premier League. 

  Maresca's side are second in the standings with 28 points from 14 matches and are unbeaten in their last six, trailing leaders Liverpool by seven points. 

  Arsenal also have 28 points, but sit third on goal difference, while champions Manchester City are two points behind the Blues in fourth place. 

  But Chelsea's Italian head coach once again refused to count his side as one of the contenders for the Premier League title this season.  

  "I don't think we are there and ready to compete with Arsenal, Liverpool and City. We have to do many more things well, not just score goals," Maresca said. 

  "Defensively, we are doing well, but we are just focused on Sunday and then the next one.

  "We are not thinking about April, May or June. It's too early. Things can change quickly in football. The focus is Sunday."

  The Blues have scored 31 goals this season - the most by a team in the league this season, with Cole Palmer their top scorer with nine goals, followed by Nicolas Jackson, who has struck eight times. 

  They head into the derby on the back of a 5-1 win against Southampton on Wednesday, which was the second time they scored five goals or more in away games this season.

  The last time they did the same, they emerged champions under Jose Mourinho during the 2014-15 season. 

  Meanwhile, their next opponents, Tottenham, were beaten 1-0 by Bournemouth last time out and dropped to 10th place, but Maresca labelled Spurs "a fantastic team." 

  "Spurs have very good players and a very good manager. What kind of problems they have, I don't know. But they are a fantastic team," he said. 

  "You see the results, two weeks ago they beat City, so they are a very good team."

  The 44-year-old also hailed Noni Madueke, who scored his fifth goal of the season against the Saints and has been involved in three goals in two matches, but reiterated that the winger still has scope to improve. 

  "Overall he's working well since we started. Sometimes he drops a little bit. He's not allowed to drop. In terms of numbers, he's doing fantastic with goals and assists," Maresca said.

  "Off the ball, when we ask him to defend and press, he's doing very well. The only reason I said this the other day is that I want the best from Noni and to get the best you have to push him. If he relaxes a little bit, it's wrong."

• 'Determined' Postecoglou aiming to turn Tottenham's fortunes around

  Ange Postecoglou said he was not "hurting" but "determined" to turn Tottenham's fortunes around after their inconsistent season continued at Bournemouth on Thursday. 

  Postecoglou watched on as his side slipped to a 1-0 defeat to the Cherries at the Vitality Stadium, with Dean Huijsen's first-half header sealing the victory for the hosts. 

  The result saw Tottenham slip to 10th in the Premier League, having won just one of their last six games in all competitions, with that victory coming against Manchester City. 

  Following the full-time whistle, several Tottenham fans confronted Postecoglou as he made his way over to the away end, with the Australian engaging in conversation. 

  This Sunday, London rivals Chelsea are the visitors to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and Postecoglou is aiming to put things right on home soil. 

  "I'm not hurting, I'm determined, that's all. I don't want to say it's unacceptable (the fans' abuse) because it is what it is," Postecoglou told reporters.

  "I've lived in this world for long enough to know that when people aren't happy they'll express their opinions, and I'm never going to hide, I'm never going to shirk that responsibility. I'll take (it) on board.

  "Is it nice? No, because like I said last night, I'm not just a manager, I'm a human being like everyone else. None of us like to hear those sorts of things, but it is what it is.

  "It doesn't disappoint me, it doesn't frustrate me, it doesn't make me angry; I'm just as determined as ever to get it right. Not because of that, but because of my resolve to bring success to the football club."

  Postecoglou said he was still searching for answers to Spurs’ inconsistency, and is also hoping to improve his own record in London derbies. 

  After winning his first four games in charge of Tottenham against teams across the capital (W2 D2), Postecoglou has now lost seven of his last 13 such matches (W4 D2).

  Adding to his woes was an injury to Ben Davies, who was playing as centre back in the absence of injured duo Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven.

  “Ben will go for a scan today so we’ll find out more," Postecoglou said. “Cuti’s (Romero) due to training, but we’ll see how he goes on Saturday."

  “Chelsea are going really well, they are in a good space at the moment with a fairly healthy squad and in good form.

  "Always a tough game against them but we are at home, and we need to make sure we produce a performance like we have in the other games," he added.

• Van Nistelrooy hints at January arrivals ahead of Brighton test

  Leicester City boss Ruud van Nistelrooy said he will have money available to spend in January as his side welcome Brighton to the King Power Stadium this Sunday. 

  The Foxes posted an impressive 3-1 win against West Ham in Van Nistelrooy's first Premier League game in charge on Tuesday, with captain Jamie Vardy, Bilal El Khannouss and Patson Daka finding the target.  

  However, with Leicester still only four points clear of safety with 13 points from 14 matches, the former Netherlands striker hinted at incomings during the winter transfer window. 

  "There were conversations about it before I signed. We said that there is no rush to do things and I agree with that," Van Nistelrooy said ahead of the Brighton game. 

  "The squad we have is getting all of the chances to prove themselves over this month. There is time after that to make a good assessment and we make a decision in January."

  Meanwhile, Brighton are gunning for the Champions League places, sitting fifth with 23 points.

  Despite a 3-1 defeat to Fulham in their last game, Fabian Hurzeler's side are only five points behind second-placed Chelsea. 

  Hurzeler, who will return to the Brighton dugout after serving a touchline suspension, acknowledged that Leicester will be a tough challenge for his side. 

  "They have quality, they play good football. They were very effective against West Ham. It will be interesting to see where they are," the 31-year-old German said. 

  "They have had a good start [under Van Nistelrooy] so it is up to us to break that up and get back the points we lost against Fulham."

  Danny Welbeck, who has scored four league goals against Leicester, is an injury doubt for Brighton, while the Foxes will be without Facundo Buonanotte, with the loanee not eligible to face his parent club. 

  "Facundo is doing a great job with Leicester, he is developing well. He works hard, and he has big potential," Hurzeler said. 

  PLAYERS TO WATCH

  Leicester - Jamie Vardy

  Vardy remains Leicester's biggest goal threat at the age of 37, with the captain also their top Premier League scorer this season with five goals. 

  He has also scored 11 goals in his last 14 league appearances against teams with Albion in their name, most recently netting against West Brom in April this year in the Championship.

  Brighton - Danny Welbeck

  After starting the season with six goals in nine games, Welbeck has failed to find the target in his last three outings, but he will be confident of finding the back of the net against one of his favoured opponents, should he be fit to feature. 

  He has scored four goals in 11 Premier League appearances against Leicester, with these strikes being worth seven points to his respective sides.

  MATCH PREDICTION: BRIGHTON WIN

  While Brighton are favoured by Opta's data-led simulations to win on Sunday, they have won none of their six Premier League away games against Leicester (D3 L3), with their last league victory at the King Power Stadium coming in the Championship in April 2014 (4-1).

  The Seagulls have also lost five of their last six top-flight away games played on a Sunday, as many as in their previous 16 such games (W7 D4). The only exception in this current run was a 5-0 win at Sheffield United in February.

  Five of Brighton’s last seven Premier League games against promoted sides have been drawn (W1 L1), including each of the last three in a row. The last team to draw four consecutive such games were Newcastle in the 2021-22 campaign.

  But having won six of their first eight Premier League meetings with Brighton (D2), Leicester are now winless in their last four against the Seagulls (D2 L2).

  However, the Foxes will be looking to build on their win over West Ham. They had seven big chances in their win on Tuesday in Van Nistelrooy's first game in charge, the joint-most big chances on record (since 2010-11) a team has had in their first Premier League match under a new manager, level with Manuel Pellegrini’s Manchester City against Newcastle (August 2013).

  Van Nistelrooy will also be hoping to join Claudio Ranieri (first two) and Craig Shakespeare (first five) in winning their first two games in charge of the Foxes in the Premier League. 

  OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

  Brighton – 52.6%

  Leicester – 24.2%

  Draw – 23.2%