Battle of the Bridge set for another round
With eight points splitting these London rivals, but Spurs having a gigantic four games in hand over the hosts, this fixture is certainly the standout one this weekend. The atmosphere at Stamford Bridge will rocking, welcoming their bitter London rivals in what is a massive game for who can finish in the top four
Title hopes gone, now a top four focus for the Blues
With just one win in their last seven games in the league, Thomas Tuchel's side have very much dropped off of the pace of the title race. If it was even still a race, they're now 13 points behind Man City, but just one point of Liverpool. However, Klopp's side have two games in hand so fully expect them to extend their advantage over the Blues. The chasing pack, namely their opponents on Sunday Spurs, will be licking their lips if Chelsea once again fail to gain all three points in this one.
On Tuesday, they were once again frustrated by Brighton who just a month earlier had done the exact same thing at Stamford Bride. A 1-1 draw was all they had to show for their efforts down on the south coast, and with a loss against man City the weekend prior, Chelsea need a bounceback. But, what better team to do it against other than a side they've just beaten twice in the space of a week in the EFL Cup? Two convincing performances in both legs from Chelsea, not conceding a single goal to Spurs in the process means that this match should favour the Blues heavily. But their lowly league form and being in a less bottle-worthy fixture for Spurs means that this game could well be a closer affair than their last two meetings.
The Late Late show, hosted by Stevie B
Last time out was a bit of a wild game wasn't it? Tottenham's meeting with Leicester at the King Power in midweek had all the makings of a classic, and it certainly didn't disappoint. As the hosts seemed to be cruising to a relatively routine 2-1 victory after James Maddison's effort in the 76th minute looked as if it'd seal the three points. To be 2-1 up at the 94th minute, and trying to explain to any future generations how Leicester managed to monumentally bottle this game will prove a tricky task. But, future grandkids, if you're reading this, it was the introduction of Dutch winger Steven Bergwijn the the 79th minute that led to 95th and 97th minute goals from Tottenham's number 23.
One of the all-time dramatic late Premier League comebacks was sealed with uncontrollable limbs from the away end, and perhaps proved that Spurs have a bit more about them than perhaps some people (namely myself) have given them credit for. But back at the Bridge, just a couple of weeks on from their 2-0 loss on this turf in the cup, will be an altogether different proposition. But if this time round away from home at Chelsea, Spurs can avoid a calamity of defensive errors in the early stages of the game, then there could be something in this game for them.
The Verdict
While I've built this game up to potentially be an excellent affair, I'm going to now be a little boring. Neither game in the EFL cup erupted in goals, and neither had over 2.5 goals. That's why I'm going on some very recent form, and the overall caginess of this fixture, and saying that there will be below 2.5 goals with bet365.
