Gary Neville tips Chelsea and Tottenham to battle it out in Premier League title race

Gary Neville has floated the potential for Frank Lampard and Jose Mourinho battling it out for the Premier League title this season with Chelsea and Tottenham off to fast starts.

Champions Liverpool are currently struggling with injuries and Neville believes the loss of Virgil Van Dijk has blown the title race wide open, with Spurs top of the table on goal difference after displacing their bitter rivals, who spent just a few hours in first position following their win over Newcastle.

Mourinho’s side impressed with an emphatic victory over Manchester City, who continue to struggle despite Pep Guardiola signing a new contract, setting up a mouthwatering encounter this Sunday at Stamford Bridge.

“It's an interesting season. We thought Chelsea might be interesting at the start of the season as they have a young, exciting squad - it looks like Frank Lampard is starting to get it right,” the Sky Sports pundit said on The Gary Neville Podcast.

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“He was still searching for his best team in the first few matches to try and fit everyone in. There were certain players that weren't fit but now they are and he's starting to work it out. They look pretty strong.

“Is it a season where Jose Mourinho and Frank Lampard being up against each other in a title race? I thought Liverpool would run away with it, but not now, not the with Virgil van Dijk injury. That's the one that is the gamechanger and exposes them a lot more.”

Spurs will be without Toby Alderweireld for this weekend and beyond, after the Belgian, 31, picked up an adductor injury.

"It's bad, it's bad. It's a muscular injury," Mourinho said. "The dimension of course we don't know, we have to wait, but it's a difficult injury for sure.

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"In the Premier League we have three centre-backs, in the Europa League we don't have Joe Rodon, we only have two, but that's the way it is.

"We don't have anybody to blame. He played in the international matches that the team needed to win to qualify for the final four (of the Nations League). With us he's playing so well we decided to play him rather than rest him.

"There's nobody to blame, just to recover as soon as possible."

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