Whatever form the two clubs are in, however strong the squads are, Tottenham's matches with Chelsea have one overarching theme. Spurs, somehow, find a way to lose.
There was last year's 4-3 defeat on home soil, when Spurs went 2-0 up early on and then fell behind 4-2. Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero both picked up injuries and did not play for another three months to sum up a disastrous December evening.
The season before, at around this time of year, Spurs were beaten 4-1 in truly farcical fashion. Again Spurs took the lead and again they collapsed, Romero and Destiny Udogie both shown red cards. Oh, and Van de Ven and James Maddison both suffered significant injuries.
Spurs fans can be forgiven, then, if Chelsea's visit to north London this evening is not one they are exactly relishing.
Chelsea have lost just one of their last 13 Premier League matches against Spurs, who have made a habit of derby disappointment.
Ange Postecoglou lost all four of his matches against Chelsea. Antonio Conte's only win came when he was at home recovering from gallbladder surgery. Nuno Espirito Santo got one attempt and lost 3-0 and Jose Mourinho's sole victory came at home in the Carabao Cup.
The bar is therefore not particularly high for Thomas Frank, who has the chance to make this the biggest night of his Spurs career so far.
These games against big rivals are the ones that shape fan opinion. There are some Spurs supporters who have questions over the style of play under Frank, despite the fact that results have largely been impressive. Victory against the Blues will go a long way to getting any doubting supporters firmly behind him and the direction of the team.
Frank could bring some much-needed calm to this fixture for Spurs. The home defeats to Chelsea under Postecoglou were chaotic affairs, Spurs unable to keep their composure and getting caught up in the occasion.
A more pragmatic approach could suit the hosts, particularly with Chelsea’s recent struggles to break teams down. Spurs are the best team away from home in the Premier League, relishing matches where the onus is not on them to take the game to the opposition.
Frank, though, was adamant that Spurs will be front-footed against Chelsea.
"We will not sit back, I think it's very clear," he declared.
"Maybe you haven't seen our games. Against Villa for example, we were very aggressive. Running forward, pressing forward. I think we've done that in every single game. That will not change."
What must change is Spurs' record against Chelsea and their results at home in general. It is three wins in the last 18 Premier League matches on home soil for Spurs heading into this match. They have already dropped points to Bournemouth, Wolves and Aston Villa this season.
There is a concerted effort to create a raucous atmosphere for this derby. Fan groups have plans to meet inside the stadium earlier, while the music will be stopped five and a half minutes before kick-off to allow the noise in the stands to build more naturally.
It is set to be a huge occasion and one that could provide the platform to kick on under Frank, who has an almost identical record at the start of his reign to Mauricio Pochettino in the Spurs dugout.
Pochettino won his first home match against Chelsea 5-3. Anything close to a repeat of that, and the Frank era will have its launchpad.
