Kai Havertz is relishing Chelsea’s Premier League match and London derby against Tottenham on Sunday afternoon at Stamford Bridge.
The 23-year-old is pushing and expected to start for Chelsea as the Blues look to back up their 1-0 win over Everton on the opening day of the season last Saturday on Merseyside.
Havertz had a quiet game and was taken off in the second half, but is expected to start once again against Antonio Conte’s side, with Mason Mount and Raheem Sterling likely to make up the front three.
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Thomas Tuchel has a full squad available at his disposal other than Marcos Alonso and Mateo Kovacic who will both be absent.
The Germany international, who lost his fellow countryman Timo Werner earlier this week after he re-joined RB Leipzig, is looking forward to the encounter in west London and insists he does not need any motivation to be up for the game.
Havertz knows there is pressure riding on the clash, bragging rights at stake, in such a big game early on in the season.
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He told the official Chelsea website: "It’s a proper derby. It’s a London derby and I know these games are always crazy and for the fans it’s a very big thing, for us as well it’s a lot of emotions in there.
"These are the games where you want to play as a player.
"There (have been) a lot of games, a lot of big players played in these games, crazy games as well. You feel the pressure behind it.
"It’s going to be good. It’s our first game of the season at Stamford Bridge, then against Spurs on a Sunday afternoon, so it can't be better.
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"Hopefully we are going to win this game."
The fixture between the two clubs has become very heated in the last decade, with strong challenges and emotions, which Havertz is aware of the fact he and his teammates will need to remain calm.
He added: "It’s not always easy because a lot of players get too heated in the moment, doing things they wouldn’t normally do because there is so much emotion behind it.
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"For me, these kind of games are always special. But I try to stay calm.”
Havertz continued: "It’s not difficult to get in a mindset (for games like this). The game - Chelsea vs Tottenham - is a big one and normally you have to know what that’s about.
"Before the match, two, three hours before you feel the tension.
"It’s not difficult to get into the right mood for these kind of games."
Topics: Kai Havertz, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Premier League, Football
Matthew Debono