Chelsea v Spurs Betting Tips: Can Kane and co win again at the Bridge?
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Preview and odds for Premier League League clash
After last night’s Premier League action focused on the bottom half of the table, tonight’s games are all about top-half proceedings.
And the pick of the bunch comes from West London as Chelsea host Tottenham.
This clash has taken on a feisty edge in recent years. This time around, Blues’ boss Maurizio Sarri is clinging onto his job, while Spurs are looking to bounce back from a surprise defeat at Burnley.
It should be an intriguing – and potentially bruising – contest, and it kicks off at 8:00pm, live on BT Sport 1…
Head-to-head
Spurs won this meeting 3-1 last season, but that was their first success at the Bridge in 28 years.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men have won 11 of their 14 away league games this term, but have lost their last three away matches in all competitions – including a 2-1 loss in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg at Chelsea last month.
For all their troubles this season, Sarri’s Blues have been solid at home, losing only two of 23 matches under the Italian. They’ve kept 12 clean sheets in the process but this is their first league game since the 6-0 thrashing at Manchester City earlier this month.
Likely XIs
Harry Kane made his return from an ankle injury at Burnley on Saturday, and is set to lead the line again this evening. Dele Alli and Eric Dier are still out.
Christian Eriksen will pull the strings in midfield. The Dane has scored two goals from outside the boxes on his last two visits to the Bridge. Son Heung-min, Lucas Moura and Erik Lamela will vie for the remaining forward spots.
The big question for Sarri tonight is does he play Kepa Arrizabalaga after the Spaniard’s antics in Sunday’s Carabao Cup final? Kepa has already been fined by the club, and Willy Caballero is ready to start if Sarri punishes him further.
Sarri must also choose between starting Gonzalo Higuain up front, or going with the Eden Hazard, Willian and Pedro trio of false strikers as he did against Man City at the weekend.
N’Golo Kante is again set to play his forward-pressing role.
Key battles
Both teams will be going all out for this one. Who knows what a defeat could do for Sarri’s future at Chelsea, while defeat would be the nail in the coffin for any title hopes Spurs’ still harbour.
Spurs were sensational in their 3-1 win over Chelsea in the reverse meeting at Wembley in November. The Blues couldn’t cope with the movement of Eriksen, Son, Alli and Kane.
Expect more of the same tonight, with Moura or Lamela filling in for Alli. Can Sarri’s defence put on a stronger display this time around? It could be a long night if they can’t.
At the other end, Spurs struggled with Burnley’s physical and aerial power on Saturday. That could see Sarri opt for Higuain or Giroud up front tonight. Kane will again press high and hustle any ball-playing between the Spurs defenders.
Match odds
Despite their recent woes, Chelsea are 5/4 favourites for this one, but Spurs’ strength is emphasised by their 11/5 price. A draw can be backed at 5/2.
Goals are frequent in this clash, with six of the last eight league meetings seeing both teams find the net. There’s 8/13 about Both Teams to Score tonight, and 3/4 for over 2.5 goals.
But who gets them? Higuain is the 4/1 favourite to score first, ahead of Kane and Hazard at 9/2. There’s 5/1 about the in-form Son breaking the deadlock, while there’s 4/1 about Eriksen netting at the Bridge for the third league game in a row.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
