Chelsea vs Tottenham Hotspur

Stamford Bridge forms the backdrop for an all-London Premier League showdown between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur. 

Another controversial VAR decision denied Chelsea a late winner in a 2-2 draw at Aston Villa at the weekend, leaving manager Mauricio Pochettino fuming. The Argentine’s side showed fortitude to bounce back from a two-goal deficit to avoid defeat in the wake of a 5-0 thumping at the hands of Arsenal to maintain their hopes of securing European qualification. The Blues trail seventh-placed Newcastle by five points, but with a game in hand, they’re still in contention for a Europa Conference League finish. Back to Stamford Bridge, where they’ve only lost once in their last ten Premier League outings (W7, D2), looking to complete a league double over Spurs following a stunning 4-1 win in November’s reverse fixture. That was Chelsea’s fourth victory in six top-flight H2Hs since the start of 2021 (D1, L1).

Tottenham’s poor results in this match-up don’t bode well for the visitors’ bid to recover from two consecutive league defeats in which they conceded seven goals. A run of just one win from their last four league games (D1, L2) has derailed Spurs’ chances of leapfrogging Aston Villa into fourth. With two games in hand, they sit seven points adrift of the Lions, meaning the margin for error is thin. Ange Postecoglou’s men have stuttered on the road lately, managing just one victory across their last seven Premier League travels (D3, L3). That’s particularly ominous, given their disastrous record of only one triumph in 33 league visits since February 1990. Scoring shouldn’t be a problem for Tottenham, especially in the second half, with 62% of their top-flight goals this season coming beyond halftime (43/67).