MEETING THE NEIGHBOURS

It is eight years since Felipe Scolari last experienced leading a club side into a derby fixture. As he prepares to resume with one of the truly big games of London football, the Chelsea manager was been recalling local rivalries past.

'In south Brazil, there was Grêmio versus Internacional. In São Paulo, there was Palmeiras versus São Paulo and Palmeiras versus Corinthians,' he details.

'I was three-and-half-years coach in Grêmio and three-and-a-half years coach in Palmeiras. I play many derbies there.

'I remember my first derby when I start as a coach was a final for the state championship in South Brazil with CSA. In 20 minutes we were leading 3-0 but then it was 3-2, and the game was not finished. It was a difficult game and I remember because it was my first derby and my first title.'

The man who started his managerial career over 25 years ago anticipates derby days in England will have passion but not a wild, dark side he experienced back in his homeland. And it will be all the better for it he reckons.

'In Brazil the derbies are more crazy than you think - but for me, a derby is not more important than a normal game.

'I know it is important for fans and I say to the fans for Chelsea the same as I say to the fans for Palmeiras and Grêmio - that we need three points. If we win against Tottenham but had lost against Wigan, it is no good.'

Scolari is likely to be joined by José Bosingwa and Deco in making a London derby bow today.

'We didn't talk about it being a derby specifically during the week,' reports Bosingwa.

'But I am sure that the closer it gets, the more we will talk.

'Just Friday, Didier [Drogba] talked to me about this game against Tottenham and he told me that during the game against Portsmouth, towards the end all the Chelsea fans started singing about not liking Tottenham and how we are going to beat them.

'I am looking forward to playing against a team coached by Juande Ramos as I haven't done that before,' the right-back adds. 'He did wonderfully well with Sevilla, winning two Uefa Cups.'

It was during Tottenham's Uefa Cup campaign last season that Ramos came up against Brazilian goalie Heurelho Gomes, then of PSV.

During a summer of much transfer talk and activity at White Hart Lane, Ramos made the player his new first choice between the posts for a fee reported around the £8 million mark.

'Gomes started as a goalkeeper with me in Brazil,' reports Scolari. 'I put him at 18 into the Cruzeiro squad. I believed in him because he was good and now he is in Tottenham.

'I will talk to him before the game and say all the best. I have two goalkeepers in England that started with me because there is also Diego in Liverpool. In Brazil, he was at Palmeiras'.