The Premier League will be back into action as soon as the New Year starts. One of the interesting matchups to grace us on the first day of the year will be between Tottenham and league-leading Chelsea.
Can Tottenham exact revenge for their 3-0 loss in the first matchup? Or will Chelsea put on another beating now with Diego Costa available against the Spurs? Read on as we breakdown this entertaining affair.
Satisfy your cravings for more soccer action with our complete preview of the Southampton vs. Arsenal game. You can also check out the Weekly EPL picks column.
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Tottenham vs. Chelsea Preview
Where: White Hart Lane, Tottenham
When: Thursday, January 1, 12:30 PM ET
Line: Chelsea -170 at Tottenham +390, tie +260; total 2.5 – view all EPL lines
What’s at Stake
Chelsea leads Manchester City at the top of the table by only three points. A win here will be crucial to keep their standing, especially if second-place Manchester City wins their match against Sunderland.
Betting on Tottenham
After their 3-0 drubbing to Chelsea on December 4, Tottenham enter this fixture on a five-game undefeated run (three wins and two ties). In their wins, the Spurs defeated a good team in Swansea 2-1, but also posted the same mark in wins over bottom feeders Burnley and Leicester.
[sc:Soccer240banner ]Harry Kane scored three of the past four games’ six goals, while Christian Eriksen had two. Kane and Eriksen should spearhead Tottenham’s frontline in their second match against Chelsea on New Year’s Day.
The Spurs hung tight against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. They controlled possession (61 percent) and kept up with Chelsea almost shot-for-shot (12-10). However, their shots weren’t falling on target as only two of their 10 shots were on goal. Eriksen had a shot wide off the net and Kane hit the post and his second shot went off to the right.
Tottenham have a chance of clinching at least a point at White Hart Lane. They’re undefeated in their last four home games (two wins and two ties). Most recently, Tottenham’s goaltending held tight in a 0-0 tie against offensive powerhouse Manchester United on Sunday. Keeper Hugo Lloris made a number of excellent saves, including an acrobatic swipe at an Ashley Young shot and a point-blank deflection against Robin Van-Persie.
When it comes to Chelsea’s high-powered offense, all the talk may be on Diego Costa. The Spanish forward has been a workhorse terrorizing opponents’ defenses. Lost in all the Costa chatter is the stellar play of Spanish midfielder Cesc Fabregas. After assisting Eden Hazard’s equalizer against Southampton in their last fixture, Fabregas now leads the Premier League with 13 assists. That’s five more than second-place Gylfi Sigurdsson of Swansea.
Fabregas has also created a league-leading 61 chances this season (assists and goals combined), making an average of 3.33 scoring opportunities per game. What makes the midfield master so scary is that he’s on pace to top Thierry Henry’s record of 20 assists in the 2002-2003 season.
Chelsea’s star midfielder had the most touches (70) against the first fixture against Tottenham this season. He also created two chances with his own shot on goal and a key pass.
Costa was absent in the fixture against Tottenham on December 4. With Chelsea’s Spanish duo both suiting up for this upcoming match, expect Fabregas to repeatedly pick off Costa for opportunistic scoring chances. And Costa is an excellent finisher just one goal short of Man City’s Sergio Aguero’s league-leading 14.
While Fabregas and Costa go on the attack, Chelsea’s last line of defense will be in good hands with goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. He had a clean sheet against Tottenham in the first game. Courtois also leads the league in goals-against average with just 0.78 this season.
Chelsea are undefeated in nine of their 10 away games this season.
