Tag: Tottenham Hotspur

Chelsea’s Champions League hopes hang in the balance this weekend, as Tottenham head to Stamford Bridge. With just eight games of the Premier League season remaining, there’s so much on the line when the fifth placed Blues host the side directly above them in the table. The champions need to claim all three points in order to close the gap on the top four, and anything short of a win will leave Antonio Conte’s side staring at a season in the Europa League. There’s plenty of pressure on the hosts ahead of this huge game on Sunday, but just how will the hosts approach this massive derby clash?

Of course, this is a crucial game for Spurs as well, who are eying up the likes of Man United and Liverpool ahead of them. Such ambitions are long gone for Chelsea, who will just want to secure fourth and make their way into the Champions League yet again. Having recently missed out on Europe and slogged through the Europa League, they’ll know exactly what is on the line in this clash. On top of that, fans will remember stealing Tottenham’s Champions League spot after winning the competition in 2012, so pipping them to the post would be incredibly rewarding in a tough season.

Team News: Blues Close to Full Strength for Champions League Decider

Chelsea are only without David Luiz and Ross Barkley once again this weekend, although neither of those two would have featured in this clash anyway. Conte will want to stick with his most trusted side for this clash, and that’s going to see them stick with a 3-4-3 set-up. We expect no major changes from the usual set-up, which is a boost ahead of a game which the Blues can’t afford to lose.

Tottenham’s major worry for this game is the fact that Harry Kane remains on the side-lines. He’s set for a month out of action, and that could well derail Tottenham’s push for the top four. There’s now a gap up front for the visitors, who don’t have that much strength in depth in attack. Forward Fernando Llorente – a player Chelsea were haggling over in August – is likely to step up in his place.

Tottenham Form

Tottenham come into this game with five wins in their last six matches, having lost at home to Juventus in the Champions League. That’s their only defeat since Christmas, which is an impressive run from Spurs. However, they have a tough test in this clash, which puts that record in jeopardy; as they’ve only travelled to one top six side during that run.

Spurs have fixed up their home form, as they’ve adapted to their temporary home. They’re unbeaten in six away trips, but before that they picked up a single point in five league matches on the road, Given that those games included meetings with sides who were all in the top half at that stage, that doesn’t bode well for this trip.

Chelsea v Tottenham Head to Head

History is on the side of Chelsea here, given that Spurs are without a win at the Bridge since 1990, having failed to win in their last 26 attempts at this ground. Three of the last four encounters here have gone the way of the Blues, and they will be hoping to add to that against their rivals on Sunday. The Blues have won the last two clashes – which both came at Wembley. Can they now claim three points in front of their own fans?

• Tottenham 1-2 Chelsea, Aug 2017
• Chelsea 4-2 Tottenham, Apr 2017
• Tottenham 2-0 Chelsea, Jan 2017
• Chelsea 2-1 Tottenham, Nov 2016
• Chelsea 2-2 Tottenham, May 2016

Betting Tips

• Under 2.5 Goals – 4/5 with Betfred
• Chelsea to win 1-0 – 7/1 with Coral

Chelsea need a win in this game, and they do come into the encounter as favourites for the three points. The Blues can be backed at 13/10 with Ladbrokes for the victory, while the draw is out at 12/5 with BetVictor. Meanwhile, Tottenham have been priced up at 23/10 with Betfair to take the points back from the Bridge on Sunday.

However, we can’t see the visitors getting a result out of this crucial trip, especially given that this is a must win game for Conte and his charges. However, that doesn’t mean that we’re anticipating an open game, as the Blues are likely to be on the spot at times, so they’ll need to be solid at the back in order to stave off the visitors.

Luckily, that’s been the case in most of their big home clashes this season. We recently saw them hold off Barcelona for almost all of the game at the Bridge, and their big clashes domestically have gone in a similar direction. Arsenal have drawn 0-0 twice at this ground; once in the league and once in the EFL Cup. The Blues have beaten Man United 1-0 here and lost 1-0 to City despite a solid performance. With that form in mind, we can see a low scoring game against Spurs outfit who will miss Harry Kane. We’re backing under 2.5 goals as our tip here, which is priced at 4/5 with Betfred.

Tottenham have a bit of an issue when it comes to top sides, as they’ve had four trips to the top six this term and claimed just one point. A draw at Anfield was a fortunate result for Spurs, while they were beaten by Man City, United and Arsenal this term. That follows on from their troubles on the road last term, which saw them win just one of their meetings at top 10 sides. With Spurs in poor form in their trips to this ground, we are going with a narrow win for the Blues. We like the look of a 1-0 correct score, which you can back at 7/1 with Coral ahead of this clash.

Chelsea started their season with an awful home defeat to Burnley, leaving the champions in trouble ahead of their clash with Tottenham. The Blues were the first defending champion in the Premier League to concede three on the opening day, a worrying snapshot of their awful defending. The last thing they need after losing to one of the relegation favourites is a clash against last season’s runners-up. With the game taking place at Wembley, will that be the saving grace for Antonio Conte and his threadbare squad?

This could well be a third loss at Wembley across the Blues’ last four competitive games in all competitions. Having lost twice to one London rival, Arsenal, going down to Tottenham too is unthinkable for most fans. However, Mauricio Pochettino’s men started the season with a solid win at Newcastle, which suggests they’re ready for the new campaign despite their lack of additions to their squad. If only Chelsea could say the same, having been left short by the selling policy of the Stamford Bridge hierarchy this summer.

Team News: Suspensions leave Conte short with his selection

Chelsea come into this game with just one of their three scorers from their mast meeting with Spurs. While Willian is likely to make an appearance, Eden Hazard is injured and Nemanja Matic is now at Manchester United. The Blues are without the suspended Gary Cahill and Cesc Fabregas, meaning Cesar Azpilicueta is set to take the armband. After barely managing to field a team on Saturday, those two absences leave Antonio Conte with a tough task preparing a side to face Spurs. A formation change has been mooted, simply because they lack numbers to fill the regular 3-4-3.

Tottenham are set to miss Danny Rose once again, with the full-back still out injured. Given his comments to the press, he’d probably be fighting for a starting place even if he was fit. Aside from that Spurs should be at full strength, with Harry Kane starting up front. However, the forward is still searching for his first career goal in August, can he find that on Sunday?

Tottenham Form

Tottenham were able to make a comfortable start to the new season, winning 2-0 at newly promoted Newcastle. Spurs weren’t completely convincing until Jonjo Shevley received a red card, which changed the game and allowed them to take control. However, that win has likely built up confidence in the Tottenham squad going in to this game, which would have been needed after the summer they have had. While the part line has been to boast about the strength of the team, cracks have begun to appear.

Danny Rose’s decision to come out and blast the club’s transfer policy and wage limit means things weren’t rosy at the club last week. Pochettino even said that his side have fallen behind the rest of the top six after failing to sign anyone. While the Blues are having problems with regards to transfers, this is the same side which lost to Chelsea twice last season. Can they turn that around at Wembley, or will their awful run of form at this ground hurt Spurs?

Tottenham vs Chelsea Head to Head

The last clash between these two sides came at Wembley, as the Blues came from behind to win 4-2 in an FA Cup semi-final. That has set the scene for this game, with Spurs set to kick off their Premier League campaign in their temporary home. That makes this another landmark meeting between these two rivals, after a strong of high profile games. Before that cup semi-final Spurs ended Chelsea’s 13 game winning run, a streak which contained a 2-1 win over Spurs in November. The Blues stopped Spurs from winning the title in May last year, so these clashes have been quite high profile of late.

• Chelsea 4-2 Tottenham, Apr 2017
• Tottenham 2-0 Chelsea, Jan 2017
• Chelsea 2-1 Tottenham, Nov 2016
• Chelsea 2-2 Tottenham, May 2016
• Tottenham 0-0 Chelsea, Nov 2015

Betting Tips

• Both Teams to Score – 8/11 with Betfred
• Tottenham to win – 21/20 with Sky Bet

Coming into this game, Tottenham have been priced up as 21/20 favourites with Sky Bet, with clear distance between them and the Blues. The champions can be backed at 5/2 with BetVictor, while the draw is available at 12/5 with Bet365. Unfortunately we have to side with Spurs on this one, because they seem to represent value in this match. However, we should get a pretty entertaining game when these two meet.

With Chelsea’s issues at the back, we think a Spurs goal is pretty much nailed on. They’re facing a makeshift back line which is weaker than the one which conceded three at home to Burnley. However, the Blues fought back in that game and got on the scoresheet, with Alvaro Morata looking sharp. There’s a chance that Conte pairs him with Michy Batshuayi in the absence of Eden Hazard and Pedro, so we expect the champions to score here. Spurs won’t have enough to cover all the space behind their defence at Wembley, and Morata proved that he can run in behind and exploit that with his weekend display. We’re backing both teams to score in this clash at 8/11 with Betfred.

However, the Blues have too many problems with their selection to get a result here. There are too many similarities to 2015 for us here, in which Chelsea defended their title, lost to Arsenal in the Community Shield and then slipped up at home to Swansea in their opener. They followed that up by heading to the previous runners-up, Man City, in which they were heavily beaten. We think that history will repeat itself once again, and Spurs will win this clash. Given their price of 21/20 with Sky Bet, it’s hard to say they aren’t well priced with everything going on right now.

Can Premier League leaders Chelsea continue their fantastic winning run when they make the trip away to Tottenham on Wednesday night? This frenetic festive period wraps up with a mouth-watering London derby, which is possibly the Blues’ toughest test since their 3-0 defeat at the hands of Arsenal. Will Antonio Conte and his men be able to make a strong start to 2017, or will they fail to pick up three points for the first time since September?

Tottenham will also be confident coming into this game, they’ve put together some strong form; they also finally returned to the top four, albeit for only a day. Their push for a Champions League spot isn’t their main aim, however, as they’ve got outside ambitions of winning the title. However, they’re 10 points back from Chelsea, so they’ll need to claim all three points here to boost their title charge.

Team News: Conte to keep faith in search for 14th straight win

Antonio Conte has resisted the urge to make too many changes across the Christmas period. He welcomes back Pedro this weekend, after the Spaniard was suspended for the Stoke game. However, with Willian and Eden Hazard in excellent form, Pedro is unlikely to find his way back into the team here. We’re backing a familiar 11 here, with Nemanja Matic and N’Golo Kante both moving in to central midfield. That should give them a more solid base against a side in great attacking form.

In fact, Conte only has two injury concerns ahead of this game. John Terry is still a doubt, although he’s unlikely to beat any of the current back three to a starting place. Going into this clash, Terry would be a substitute at best. The Blues have Kenedy and Charly Musonda back from their loans, although they’ve not played much this season. Musonda isn’t fit after returning from Real Betis. Neither of those two are likely to appear on Wednesday.

Tottenham’s only injury worry for this game is Erik Lamela, aside from that they’re set to have a fully fit squad. They’ve been lining up in a 3-5-2 formation of late, and they’re likely to continue that here. That allows their attack minded full-backs to push on, while it also gets Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen into their favoured number 10 roles. However, they’re playing with just Victor Wanyama in front of their back three. That could leave them vulnerable.

Tottenham Form

Since losing 2-1 at Stamford Bridge in November, Tottenham have won six of their last seven matches. That saw them make a return to the top four, dumping Manchester City out in the process, before City leapfrogged then again with a home win against Burnley. Spurs have scored 21 goals in that time, with Harry Kane and Dele Alli hitting solid form up top. They each scored twice in Spurs’ 4-1 win over Watford on New Year’s Day, that was their second consecutive 4-1 victory on the road. Can they continue that excellent scoring form when they return to White Hart Lane on Wednesday night? Or will they struggle against the league’s best defence?

One issue for Spurs is their packed Christmas schedule. Spurs’ kicked off their winter fixtures just a week before this game. They’ve got three games in a week, while the Blues have been resting since Saturday. The Spurs’ squad has already been juggling European football with league action, they might not be able to match the Blues here. Tottenham don’t have the biggest squad, and seeing as they’ve not rotated that much, they might come up a little short when they face the league leaders.

Tottenham v Chelsea Head to Head

Tottenham gave the Blues a scare at Stamford Bridge, as they scored the opener. However, Conte’s side managed to turn things around to continue their impressive winning run Their last trip here was a 0-0 draw under Jose Mourinho, while the season before they lost 5-3 here. It’s hard to see a repeat of either of those results, given how the Blues are playing up front and at the back. It’s tough to see them letting in five goals in any game.

• Chelsea 2-1 Tottenham, Nov 2016
• Chelsea 2-2 Tottenham, May 2016
• Tottenham 0-0 Chelsea, Nov 2015
• Chelsea 2-0 Tottenham, Mar 2015
• Tottenham 5-3 Chelsea, Jan 2015

Betting Tips

• Diego Costa to score anytime – 6/5 with BetVictor
• Draw – 12/5 with Sky Bet

Given the form of these two coming into this game, it’s clear that this is a really tough match to call. There’s next to nothing between them in the pre-match betting, Coral price Tottenham at 13/8 here, while Chelsea are 17/10 for the win. It’s hard to see just who will take the points, but this is clearly one of the toughest trips that that the Blues are going to face. They were almost gifted the points at Man City when Pep Guardiola’s men collapsed. They won’t get that lucky here, they’ll need to be at their very best to get anything out of this meeting.

The Blues will need Diego Costa firing, and he made a scoring return to the side at the weekend. He hit a late goal against Stoke on his return from suspension. The forward had a much needed break when he was suspended against Bournemouth. That looks to have helped him, and that’s got to be a worry for Spurs. The way they set up is likely to create space at the back, and Costa is one who can take advantage. We’re backing him to score any time, at 6/5 with BetVictor.

Tottenham are yet to suffer defeat at home all season, which highlights just how difficult this game is for the league leaders. We can’t see a 14th win here for Chelsea, but the Blues should avoid defeat in this one. We’re backing these two to take a point apiece, with the draw priced at 12/5 with Sky Bet ahead of this clash.

After moving to the top of the Premier League last weekend, things are only getting tougher for Chelsea. They host unbeaten Tottenham next, with the title hopefuls four points behind in fifth place. In this tight battle for the Premier League trophy, no side can afford to fall too far back. Could that inspire Spurs to a first win at Stamford Bridge since 1990? That’s not a record that Antonio Conte will want to surrender.

When you look at the Blues’ recent form, it’s hard to back against them. However, Spurs are yet to taste a league defeat this term, and they maintained that with a spirited fightback at home to West Ham on Saturday. One thing we can expect is a heated game, these two saw plenty of cards when they met in May. Expect another fiery contest between these two, seeing as both are looking to push for the title.

Team News: Will Conte finally make a change?

The Blues have seen a few of their fringe stars get some game time this week. The Under 23 squad played on Monday, with a few big names featuring: John Terry, Cesc Fabregas and Michy Batshuayi all played. They were also joined by Marco Van Ginkel and Kurt Zouma, who are working back to fitness.

None of those are likely to feature, seeing as Conte has kept the same side for five straight games. With a week break in between and no major injuries or suspensions, why would he change things now? Expect that same 11 to get another go this weekend. However, we do expect rotation to start in December, with a busy schedule coming up.

Tottenham could have quite a few injury doubts for this game. They’re set to be without Toby Alderweireld, Ben Davies and Erik Lamela for the weekend’s game. Before their clash with Monaco, Mauricio Pochettino said that a few more stars might not be up to scratch either. He said to reporters, “We need to assess (Harry) Kane, (Moussa) Dembele and (Dele) Alli.” It’s thought all three might not be ready to play 90 minutes quite yet. That could leave them very short ahead of one of their biggest games of the season.

Tottenham Form

Spurs are still unbeaten in the league, but their win over West Ham ended a seven game run without recording a victory. They are already out of the EFL Cup, while they are heading for a Champions League exit too. The Premier League title is their main aim this season, but they’re already fifth in the pecking order. Could they be struggling from taking on too much this term, without having the squad to cope?

They’ve been shy of goals lately, Vincent Janssen up front struggled to replace Kane while the England striker was out injured. In their last match with West Ham, they started with two forwards, but they had a tough time getting around the Hammers’ 3-4-3 formation. That could be a big bonus for the Blues this weekend. It was only Slaven Bilic’s changes which allowed Spurs back in to the game, so they could have a tough time against the Blues and their new set up. Conte’s new tactic looks to be one that the Lilywhites struggle to deal with. They don’t have much time to think of a way to counter that system, seeing as they’ve got midweek commitments to worry about.

Chelsea v Tottenham Head to Head

Even when the Blues were struggling last term, Spurs still failed to take advantage. Both of the meetings last term finished level, which cost Tottenham two points in their failed push for the Premier League title. Danny Rose admitted that the players cried in the dressing room following their 2-2 in May, which handed Leicester the title. Can Chelsea leave them in tears again this weekend?

• Chelsea 2-2 Tottenham, May 2016
• Tottenham 0-0 Chelsea, Nov 2015
• Chelsea 2-0 Tottenham, Mar 2015
• Tottenham 5-3 Chelsea, Jan 2015
• Chelsea 3-0 Tottenham, Dec 2014

Betting Tips

• Over 1.5 Chelsea goals – 31/40 with BetVictor
• Diego Costa to score any time – evens with Bet365

Last weekend’s game showed that Tottenham do have a few vulnerabilities at the back. With Alderweireld out, they don’t look anywhere near as solid. There’s no bigger test of their defence right now than a game against Chelsea, who are scoring goals for fun, especially at the Bridge. They’ve scored 12 goals in their last three league outings at home, against some quality sides. They put four past Manchester United, and hit five against Everton last time out. They’ve done all that without conceding a goal, which is a pretty remarkable run.

Momentum is carrying the Blues through some tough games with ease, and that’s partly down to their great scoring record. Can they continue that by taking advantage of a shaky Spurs defence? The 3-4-3 set up clearly troubled them at White Hart Lane, so it’s hard to see them coping when they travel to the Premier League leaders. We can see Conte’s side adding another couple of strikes onto their tally for the season, so we’re backing over 1.5 goals at 31/40 with BetVictor.

A key part of Chelsea’s recent strong scoring form has been Diego Costa, who currently leads the race for the Golden Boot. He’s hit 10 goals in 12, which is the kind of form that shot the Blues to the league title in 2015. He found the net 20 times that season, and he’s already on course to better that tally. With six months of the season still to go, it’s easy to see him hitting the 25 goal mark. With Spurs struggling at the back, Costa is going to be hard for them to handle. Given his excellent scoring form, we think he’s fantastically priced at evens to score against Spurs this weekend.