SM
Barcelona vs. Valencia: 21 hrs 32 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
SL
Premier League
Nov 29, 2015 at 12pm UK
 
CL

0-0

 
FT

Preview: Tottenham Hotspur vs. Chelsea

:Headline: Preview: Tottenham Hotspur vs. Chelsea: ID:259459: from db_amp
Sports Mole takes a closer look at both sides ahead of Sunday's London derby between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea.

Tottenham Hotspur will be aiming to extend their unbeaten Premier League run to 13 games when they host champions Chelsea at White Hart Lane on Sunday.

With 10 points currently separating the two London rivals, Spurs can strike a blow to Chelsea's hopes of securing a place in the top four this season after their disastrous start.


Spurs

While other sides close to the top of the table struggled last weekend, Spurs delivered another impressive performance to thrash West Ham United 4-1 and extend the longest unbeaten run in the league.

It was further proof of how strong Mauricio Pochettino's squad is this season as they closed the gap on the top four to move within four points of surprise leaders Leicester City, and Harry Kane was the leader again with a brace in the London derby.

After passing their latest test in the league, Kane then scored the only goal in the victory over Qarabag FK to secure a spot in the knockout stage of the Europa League to make it nine goals in his last six games.

A tough schedule has left Pochettino frustrated in recent days, as he lamented the fact that his side had to make the six-hour trip to Azerbaijan before facing Chelsea in a 12pm kickoff on Sunday afternoon.

Electing to play the likes of Kane, Christian Eriksen and Eric Dier may have allowed Spurs to secure their progress in Europe, but there is certainly a worry that their key players will still be feeling the effects of their midweek exploits when the game gets underway.

However, the confidence in the squad is certainly justification for Pochettino to resist making many changes, and with the chance to move 13 points clear of the champions after 14 games, Spurs could not be in a better position heading into such an important test.

Recent form: DDWWDW
Recent form (all competitions): WWWDWW


Chelsea

It appears that the green shoots of recovery are finally emerging for Chelsea as Jose Mourinho's side look to recover from a turbulent few months.

Three successive league defeats had raised further questions about whether Roman Abramovich would make the decision to part company with Mourinho, whose deteriorating relationship with the media and comments about underperforming players have piled the pressure on the club since this poor run started.

One of the stars of last season was responsible for relieving some of that pressure last weekend as Diego Costa struck the winner in a 1-0 victory over Norwich City, before a comfortable 4-0 win from their trip to Maccabi Tel Aviv boosted the squad's confidence in midweek.

Chelsea remain well short of the form which guided them to the title, but with so much of the season remaining, Mourinho will be hopeful that the battling win against Norwich is at least a sign of his side improving in their bid to climb up the table.

In truth, it will take a big response for Chelsea to stay in the hunt for Champions League qualification and they cannot afford another extended spell of disappointing results if they are to catch the likes of Spurs before May.

Winning just one of their six away games has been one of the big problems, with Chelsea no longer possessing the defensive resilience which was so key to their title success. Mourinho will be hoping that it returns in time to frustrate the league's in-form side.

Recent form: LWLLLW
Recent form (all competitions): LLWLWW


Team News

John Terry missed training on Friday after being stretchered off with an ankle injury against Maccabi Tel Aviv, but Mourinho claimed that there is still a chance his captain could be available for the trip to North London.

Ramires is facing a battle to be fit due to a muscle problem, but Cesc Fabregas has recovered from a toe injury suffered in midweek.

Spurs will be without Dele Alli due to a one-game suspension for picking up five bookings, which should allow Erik Lamela to return to the team after serving his own ban.

Mousa Dembele, Danny Rose and Kyle Walker did not travel to Azerbaijan and should all be recalled, while Son Heung-min should retain his spot in the side.

Spurs possible starting lineup:
Lloris; Walker, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Rose; Dier, Dembele; Son, Eriksen, Lamela; Kane

Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Begovic; Ivanovic, Zouma, Cahill, Azpilicueta; Fabregas, Matic; Willian, Hazrd, Pedro, Costa


Head To Head

Kane was the hero in this fixture last season as he netted twice to lead Spurs to a thrilling 5-3 triumph over their London rivals on New Year's Day.

That win ended a run of nine league games without a win over Chelsea, who have won on just one of their last nine trips to White Hart Lane in the competition.


Video Preview

Hit play below to see what the Sports Mole Sofa had to say about this encounter:


We say: Spurs 1-1 Chelsea

A midweek trip to Azerbaijan is certainly not ideal for Spurs ahead of this game, but they are full of confidence and should take the game to a Chelsea side looking for a vital win. Mourinho will likely attempt to frustrate the hosts and hit them on the break as much as possible, and there could be very little to choose between the two sides over 90 minutes.



amp_article__259459 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2015-11-28 12:54:34:
html db last update - 2021-02-24 22:28:24 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html
Read more!
Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal35255585285780
2Manchester CityMan City34247382325079
3Liverpool35229477364175
4Aston Villa35207873522167
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs33186967521560
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd34166125251154
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle341651374551953
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham351310125665-949
9Chelsea33139116359448
10Bournemouth35139135260-848
11Wolverhampton WanderersWolves35137154855-746
12Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton341111125257-544
13Fulham35127165155-443
14Crystal Palace351010154557-1240
15Everton35128153748-1136
16Brentford3598185260-835
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3579194262-2026
18Luton TownLuton3567224877-2925
19Burnley3559213870-3224
RSheffield UnitedSheff Utd3537253497-6316
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .