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maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 4 JANUARY 2017 20 Sport SPORTTODAY FOOTBALL Chelsea's Conte spoilt for choice ahead of Spurs clash CHELSEA manager Antonio Conte is relishing the attack- ing selection headache he faces following winger Pedro's return from suspension ahead of today's Premier League London derby against Tottenham Hotspur. Chelsea have won 13 matches in a row to surge five points clear at the top of the table and have the chance to strengthen their grip on the title after second-placed Liverpool drew at Sunderland on Monday. "I like to have my players in good form and then to make the best choice for the game. It is a good problem. Now, we have Pe- dro, Willian, (Eden) Hazard and (Diego) Costa in good form and in good shape," Conte told reporters on Tuesday. "I have to decide the starting XI but I think you win the game in 90 minutes and it is important to have all my players available and in good form." Conte was not looking too far ahead as he brushed off sugges- tions that the league title was Chelsea's to lose. "The league is open. This is only the first game of the second part of the season," Conte said. "It is important to stay focused in every game, whether you play Tottenham or another game." Conte also suggested Chelsea might be active in the January transfer window. "There are some positions that, if we are able to find the right so- lution, it is important to take that solution. This championship is long," the Italian said. "Also, I know the difficulty of the market and finding the right player. But we are talking about this." Striker Diego Costa, the league's top scorer with 14 goals this sea- son, was close to joining Atletico Madrid last season but Conte nev- er questioned his commitment. "When Diego decided to stay, he said he wanted to fight for this club and for his shirt. I wasn't concerned. He is showing great patience in the right way, in every moment of the game," the coach said. Chelsea will arrive at White Hart Lane seeking to beat Arse- nal's record of 13 consecutive top- flight victories in a season. "It is a great achievement for us. To win 13 games in a row is not easy," Conte added. "We know that we have a tough game against Tottenham. It is a good team. For this reason we need to continue our run." Antonio Conte Tottenham keen to deny Chelsea record win - Kane TOTTENHA M Hotspur are de- termined to stop Chelsea equal- ling the record of 14 consecutive Premier League wins when the London rivals meet at White Hart Lane tonight, according to their striker Harry Kane. Chelsea have won 13 matches in a row to move five points clear at the top of the table and will arrive at White Hart Lane seeking to become the first team to win 14 top-f light matches in a row within the same season. Arsenal managed 14 successive victories in 2002 but their run stretched over two campaigns. "We definitely don't want to be the team that lets Chelsea break that record. Of course, we know that's in our mind, we were just talking about it there in the changing-room," Kane told re- porters. "We don't want to be that team they break the record against so we're fully focused." Despite suggestions that Tot- tenham's progress under man- ager Mauricio Pochettino has stalled this season as the north London side lie 10 points behind Chelsea, Kane believes Spurs have made strides without hit- ting top gear. "We're a better team now, 100 per cent. I think we're four bet- ter off than at this stage last season and we've probably not played as well as we did last sea- son either," the England interna- tional added. "It shows we're on the right track. A lot of us are bigger, stronger, better and more expe- rienced so hopefully we can con- tinue that through the second half of the season." Tottenham's Harry Kane