Tottenham face playing in front of 20,000 empty seats for derby against Chelsea

Tottenham Hotspur face the prospect of playing in front of 20,000 empty seats when they host Chelsea in their first ever Premier League game at Wembley Stadium on Sunday (20 August).

Due to restrictions put in place by the Metropolitan Police, the London Fire Brigade, the London Ambulance Service and Brent Council, Spurs have not been allowed to put tickets on general sale as the first London derby of the season is considered a high-risk event.

According to the Times, the restrictions mean that while Tottenham have sold approximately 70,000 tickets, including 3,000 to away fans, they cannot put the remaining 20,000 tickets on general sale and can only sell tickets to supporters who registered on the club's website before 1 July.

The biggest ground in the country, Wembley can host 90,000 people for a football match, although the capacity can vary depending on the event, mainly due to different policing and segregation requirements.

Last season, Tottenham played all their Champions League games at the national stadium while the capacity of White Hart Lane was reduced. The ground will host all their home games this season as work on the club's new stadium is completed.

In November, Spurs played Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League in front of 85,512 fans, a record for an English club game, but the limitations imposed on them means a large area of the upper tier could be closed for one of their biggest games of the season.

The restrictions are common practice for events deemed to be high-risk, largely to prevent away fans snapping up tickets in the home end, and will also apply when Arsenal visit their North London rivals in February.

However, when Burnley travel to Wembley on 27 August, Tottenham will in all likelihood play in front of a bigger crowd as they will be allowed to put tickets on general sale for the fixture.