Win or go home. That’s the predicament facing Tottenham Hotspur after their costly slip-up against West Bromwich Albion at White Hart Lane last Monday. With Leicester City grabbing a valuable point against Manchester United on Sunday, Spurs know that only a victory will do today against Chelsea for them to keep their flickering title hopes alive.
Read on below for an in-depth breakdown of this pivotal matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our Game 2 preview of San Antonio vs. Oklahoma City.
Chelsea snapped their two-game losing streak with a resounding 4-1 victory over Bournemouth on Saturday. Eden Hazard finally scored his first league goals of the season to help the Blues record just their 12th win of their league campaign. Guus Hiddink’s men will look to sustain the momentum of that huge win when they lock horns with title contenders Tottenham at Stamford Bridge later today.
Chelsea will fancy their chances of grabbing all three points as they have fared extremely well against Tottenham of late. The Blues have enjoyed the upper hand in this London derby throughout the Premier League era, compiling a 27-18-4 mark during that span. They have not lost a top-flight home match against Tottenham since February 1990, winning 17 and drawing eight of their 25 meetings at Stamford Bridge since.
For Chelsea to grab the victory and effectively end Tottenham’s title aspirations, they will need to control the possession game once again. They had 55 percent of the ball in their victory against Bournemouth and that helped the Blues establish a 16-13 advantage in shot attempts.
It’s crucial then for Chelsea that Fabregas continue his excellent play in central midfield. He provided Chelsea’s first three goals on Saturday, teeing up Spanish compatriot Pedro and Hazard in the first half before releasing Willian for the third after the halftime break.
Fabregas now has 95 Premier League assists – trailing only Frank Lampard (102) and Ryan Giggs (162) in that department. He will have his work cut out for him, however, in unlocking a Tottenham defense that has surrendered just 26 goals this season, the fewest in the entire Premier League.
The Blues are 1-4-1 in their last six Premier League home matches.
Betting on Tottenham (19-12-4, 69 pts)
Tottenham missed a great chance to make up some ground in the Premier League title race as they were held to a 1-1 draw by West Bromwich Albion on Monday. It was a disappointing result for Spurs who are now eight points behind leaders Leicester City with just three games left to play.
Tottenham will look to get their season back on track when they take on Chelsea this coming Monday. They will fancy their chances of doing just that as they have been unstoppable on the road this season. Tottenham are second in the league in points scored away from home this campaign with 33. They have scored a whopping 31 goals in 17 matches played on the road this season.
Tottenham also loves playing in these fiery London derbies as evidenced by their recent record in these particular fixtures. Spurs have lost only one of their last 10 Premier League London derbies, winning five times and drawing four times. One man who lives for these big moments is star striker Harry Kane. The Englishman leads the Premier League in scoring this season with 24 goals to his name. If he scores twice against Chelsea on Monday, he would become the eighth quickest player in league history to reach the 50-goal mark (in his 84th appearance).
Spurs are 4-1-1 in their last six Premier League away matches.
Writer’s Prediction
Chelsea (+167) end Tottenham’s title charge with a thrilling 2-1 win.
