Tottenham’s defenders have been advised to hit Romelu Lukaku with all they have in order to get the better of the Chelsea striker in this weekend’s London derby. Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown believes the Spurs back line will have to make Sunday’s game a physical battle if they are to stop Lukaku from dominating.
Lukaku has made a brilliant start to his second spell at Chelsea following his £97.5million transfer from Inter Milan.
The Belgian has scored four goals in his first four games back at his old club, helping the Blues go unbeaten under Thomas Tuchel so far this season.
The 28-year-old scored on his debut against Arsenal, netted twice in the 3-0 win over Aston Villa and produced an impressive header to score the winner against Zenit St Petersburg on Tuesday in the Champions League.
Spurs’ defence could be bolstered by the returns of Cristian Romero and Davinson Sanchez after the pair quarantined following international duty in South America.
Japhet Tanganga is suspended after being sent off in the 3-0 defeat by Crystal Palace, while Eric Dier is an injury doubt after suffering a dead leg in the same match.
Whoever plays for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side, they face a daunting prospect in the 4.30pm kick-off at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium against Lukaku.
“When you’re playing against him, every single ball is a contest,” Keown told talkSPORT.
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Lukaku comes into the Spurs game in good form (Image: GETTY)
“I don’t want him to hold on to me to feel me, I wouldn’t want to get too tight but I’m going to hit him.
“Come two or three yards back, and when I hit him, I’m going to hit him with everything.
“I’m going to be in his ear as well, I’ve got to tell him he’s rubbish, it’s all hype, you’re playing against me today, you’re not going to get that kind of space.
“You can’t let him build into the game and then when it comes, you’re going to [need] to have the game of the season by the way, physically you’re going to have to be up for it.
“He is fantastic in the air, we see the goal he scored in midweek, he’s got everything to his game and he is super confident so you’ve got to make him feel this is different today.
“I’m a little bit different to the rest and I am going to make it tough for you.”
Chelsea are boosted by the return of N’Golo Kante following injury, but Christian Pulisic is still unavailable after picking up a knock on international duty.
The Blues are joint top of the Premier League, with 10 points from a possible 12, while Tottenham are a point further behind.