Winks and Barkley are set to go head to head on Saturday as Tottenham face Chelsea.
Harry Winks has told Tottenham Hotspur’s official website that he is expecting to come up against a tough test in Chelsea midfielder Ross Barkley on Saturday evening.
Winks, 22, has been in superb for for Spurs of late and is likely to start for the north Londoners at Wembley as they look to make inroads into the top four – with Chelsea sitting in third place.
The Spurs academy product has made 16 appearances in all competitions this season, and earned his place in Gareth Southgate’s side once again – alongside Chelsea’s rejuvenated Barkley.
Barkley is also likely to start on Saturday after he also returned to the England fold, and Winks commented on a player that came close to becoming a Spurs star, only to eventually join Chelsea.
“Ross a top player, a very powerful player,” Winks said. “He’s been doing really well this year and he’s going to be an important player for them that we have to try and stop at the weekend.
“We know his game so it will be a case of us trying to nullify the threat he poses.”
This time last year, The Daily Mirror claimed Barkley had his heart set on a move to Spurs, but eventually ended up at Chelsea in the January window for a fee believed to be in the region of £15million from Everton.
The winner of Saturday’s London derby will sit in third place in the Premier League come Saturday evening, though a draw will see Chelsea remain in the top three.
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