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Tottenham Hotspur will look to get back on the winning track when they host Chelsea in a Premier League derby in London on Thursday at 8pm.
The Spurs were on a roll until last week, losing two games in a row, including the debilitating 1-0 loss to Brighton, threatened by relegation, but a racy London derby against their manager’s former club is just what he ordered. the doctor. For the Blues, this is a chance to win their second straight game with new coach Thomas Tuchel.
What will happen when Spurs host Chelsea? We have made five predictions:
1. The Spurs will line up as …
Sergio Reguilon, Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Giovani Lo Celso remain out of the game for the hosts, although it is not yet clear if Serge Aurier will return to the day’s squad after reportedly left the stadium after being retired against Liverpool. The Ivorian was eliminated by Moussa Sissoko in Brighton’s defeat in what Mourinho described as a “technical decision.”
2. Chelsea will line up as …
Hakim Ziyech stayed on ice for Burnley’s win and should return to the team for this midweek clash, but Kai Havertz and Kurt Zouma have injury concerns crossing the M25, and Tuchel confirmed the pair had ‘minor issues’ in the training session on Wednesday. ; his participation is now “questionable” according to the German.
3. Vinicius to seize his opportunity
Spurs will not have Kane against Chelsea and, as we saw in Liverpool’s defeat, they fight when their talisman is not on the field. A 12-goal, 11-assist comeback this season is a phenomenal outing for anyone and of course the Spurs will miss it.
The problem has been that, at least initially, the Spurs haven’t turned to their backup striker to fill the void left by Kane. However, at halftime against Brighton, Carlos Vinicius came off the bench to take his place at the top of a 4-2-3-1 system and the Spurs improved as a result.
The visitors He had seven shots in the second half at the Amex, hitting the target four times. This was a huge improvement over the first half, where they only managed a single shot and didn’t even hit the target. They still lost, but it was an improvement and Vinicius (two shots, both on goal, one forcing a great save from Robert Sánchez) was a big part of that.
2020/21 Premier League overall winner odds by William Hill:
- City of Manchester: 1/4
- Liverpool: 4/1
- Manchester United: 16/1
- Spurs: 66/1
- Leicester: 66/1
- Chelsea: 100/1
All odds in this article are accurate at time of publication (7:00 PM, 2/1/21). You can find more William Hill football markets here. 18+ only. BeGambleAware.
Therefore, Vinicius should not only have a chance early on against Chelsea, but he will surely take it too. Chelsea’s defense has been very impressive since Tuchel took over, but as always, it would be foolish to write off Vinicius just because he’s not a great name.
Vinicius’ skill set is very balanced; He is not Kane but he is a very good forward who knows where the goal is. Supplied by Spurs top stringers, Vinicius will prove his worth by scoring against Chelsea’s back line. It may not be the prettiest goal, but they all count!
4. Tuchel will aim to bite more
Tuchel has managed two games and his team has not conceded a goal. Chelsea have been impressively solid in defense with three center-backs and two defensive midfielders covering their attackers. However, he hasn’t delivered much scoring action.
Against the Wolves, the Blues barely seemed to score, and although they scored twice against Burnley, both endings were completely freakish and they only created two good starts on top of that (which, to be fair, they should have converted).
Tuchel will know that to break through the Spurs defense he will need a little more bite, but of course he will not want to commit one of his midfielders to overload, at the risk of exposing his defense. Except he won’t have to, because N’Golo Kante is back in shape.
So while Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic offer stability and possession as a pair, Mason Mount and Kante are a bit more chaotic as a duo, but in a way that should make Chelsea more dangerous. Mount will obviously go ahead to help the overload in the attacking zones, while Kante is such a legendary defensive-minded midfielder that he should be able to cover that central zone on his own.
5. Chelsea will keep rolling
Tuchel’s good start at Chelsea has been helped by two teams that haven’t really done a great job in terms of attacking, or even counterattacking, the Blues. Against the Spurs, that will obviously change, as they have one of the best counter weapons in today’s game with Son Heung-min.
And even though we predicted Vinicius would score, Tuchel’s changes in the middle, combined with what will undoubtedly be another in front of three rotated (Chelsea really has a wealth shame in attack), they will probably see the Blues have too much power. of fire for the Spurs. ‘defense to handle, even a defense as well organized as theirs.
Spurs vs Chelsea betting favorites:
- Tottenham to win: 5/2
- To draw: 10/23
- Chelsea to win: 23/20
All odds in this article are accurate at time of publication (11:00 AM, 01/28/21). You can find more William Hill football markets here. 18+ only. BeGambleAware.
After all, if they start Olivier Giroud, Christian Pulisic and Timo Werner on the attack, then not only will they subject Chelsea to multiple waves of pressure from dangerous attacking areas, they will also be able to turn to Tammy Abraham and potentially Havertz. , if injuries allow.
So yes, the Spurs should score (maybe even first!) But Chelsea will have too much firepower at the end of the day. Maybe one of his backups scores, maybe more than one, but the bench will make the difference and the Blues should win back-to-back games with Tuchel for the first time.
