Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea
English Premier League
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
Thursday, February 4, 2021
20:00 GMT
Referee: Andre Marriner
After becoming Chelsea’s manager in late January, Thomas Tuchel is set for his first big test against legendary manager Jose Mourinho and Tottenham Hotspur.
Tottenham are currently seventh in the Premier League, with Chelsea right behind them in eighth. Both teams have 33 points, but Spurs have a game in hand.
Tottenham Preview:
After losing their star striker Harry Kane to injury, Tottenham have struggled. They head into this match with two losses against Liverpool and Brighton & Hove Albion, 3-1 and 1-0 respectively.
Tottenham have found it difficult to score, with only six shots combined against both opponents.
After being subbed off in last Thursday’s fixture against Liverpool, defender Serge Aurier is likely to be punished, with Matt Doherty expected to start at wing-back.
In addition to Kane, Dele Alli, Sergio Reguilon and Giovani Lo Celso are injured, while Tanguy Ndombele is doubtful.
Tottenham have no suspended players.
Chelsea Preview:
Chelsea are undefeated and have played well under Tuchel, drawing 0-0 against Wolverhampton Wanderers and defeating Burnley 2-0.
The Blues dominated possession in both games, with 79% and 72% against Wolves and Burnley respectively.
Their opponents are yet to trouble the goalkeeper, while the Blues have had 33 shots and 13 shots on target.
With the change in formation, Chelsea have become much more dangerous. This is due to full-backs Ben Chilwell and Callum Hudson-Odoi posing a threat to defences with their crossing ability.
In their match against Burnley, winger Hakim Ziyech did not play as a precaution. However, he is fully fit and expected to play on Thursday.
N’Golo Kante is also in line to return to the line-up after recovering from a minor hamstring injury.
Other than that, Chelsea have no other injuries or suspensions.
Tottenham v Chelsea Stats:
Tottenham Recent Form: WDWWLL
Chelsea Recent Form: WWLWDW
Head-to-Head:
November 29, 2020: 0-0 Draw
September 29, 2020: 1-1 (Tottenham win on penalties)
February 22, 2020: 2-1 Chelsea
Tottenham v Chelsea Prediction:
Considering that Tuchel and the Chelsea players have had more training sessions together, they should be on the right track in terms of tactics.
With Kane out, it will be quite difficult for Tottenham to score, especially against a Chelsea team who press hard and haven’t conceded a single shot on target yet.
Prediction: Chelsea 2-0 Tottenham.
Add Sportslens to your Google News Feed!
