Chelsea v Tottenham

Chelsea face a real battle to finish in the Champions League spots come the end of the season. The Blues currently sit fourth in the table, but only five points separates them from Bournemouth in 10th - showing how congested the top half of the Premier League is at the moment, away from the title race. 

Tottenham are not part of this picture and sit languishing in 14th, 10 points away from the top half of the table. There isn’t much to fight for in the league anymore, so Tottenham’s focus is likely to be on their Europa League quarter-final next week. Ange Postecoglou does not have happy memories from facing Chelsea in his tenure as Spurs manager, losing all three of his games against the West London side.

⭐ Chelsea v Tottenham Best Bets

Chelsea facing Tottenham is always a feisty affair, these sides have faced three times during Postecoglou’s tenure, with Chelsea coming out on top in all three of those games. Each encounter has had plenty of needle which would suggest that Tottenham will marginally exceed their foul average per game at Stamford Bridge.

Tottenham are averaging 11.3 fouls committed per game across their 29 games in the Premier League this season, this rises ever so slightly to 11.7 fouls committed per game across their 14 away trips. Tottenham committed 17 fouls and gave away two penalties in the earlier league meeting between the sides which suggests that there is an underlying aggression that will be present from both teams here.

Tottenham have actually committed 12+ fouls in all three of their games under Postecoglou against Chelsea. Chelsea have drawn 12+ fouls from the opposition in half of their games at Stamford Bridge this season but again, the added animosity that exists between these sides should see the Blues able to frustrate their visitors and draw fouls, especially in the middle of the park. 

This game will throw up plenty of individual battles and 1v1 duels, which should create the perfect environment for a flurry of fouls. The added tension surrounding this tie when considering the derby element, as well as recent meetings, should mean that referee Craig Pawson has plenty of incidents to manage.

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👕 Chelsea v Tottenham Predicted XI

🔍 Chelsea v Tottenham Players to Watch

⚪ Rodrigo Bentancur

The middle of the park will be crucial here, Chelsea have a wealth of options to choose from including continuing with Reece James in a central position.

Bentancur will have the tough task of managing Moises Caicedo (1.56 fouls won per 90), Enzo Fernandez (1.60 fouls won per 90) and Cole Palmer (1.95 fouls won per 90). Bentancur has committed 26 fouls across his 19 Premier League appearances this season (1.87 per 90) and will struggle to contain this energetic Chelsea midfield.

Bentancur didn’t feature in the initial meeting between these sides, but each of the three central midfielders that Tottenham deployed on that occasion committed three fouls.

🔵 Enzo Fernandez

Fernandez has been platformed perfectly by Enzo Maresca this season, which has seen the Argentine take on a more active role in the final third as evidenced by his nine goal contributions in the Premier League this season, already four more than this tally in the top-flight last campaign.

He’s only averaging 0.59 shots on target per 90 across his 27 Premier League appearances this season, but this average is not reflective of the recent rise Fernandez has seen when it comes to shots and shots on target.

He continued his positive form with a goal and an assist against Brazil during the international break, and found the back of the net against Tottenham in the meeting between the sides earlier in the campaign, a game in which he had three shots. 

📂 Chelsea v Tottenham Cheat Sheet

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💻 Chelsea v Tottenham Form and Tactics

The best word to describe Chelsea this season is patient. This is the main idea that Maresca wants to embed into his side, occasionally to the frustration of the Stamford Bridge faithful, who are accustomed to a more intense brand of football. The struggles Chelsea have had correlate largely to the inexperience in the squad, particularly in big games away from home. Stamford Bridge hasn’t quite been a fortress, but Maresca has made it a tougher place to visit, Chelsea have only lost two games at Stamford Bridge this season, with only Nottingham Forest, Arsenal and Liverpool having a better home record.

Chelsea have experimented with all sorts of tactical variations this season, sometimes even changing within games to meet the conditions of a fixture. Maresca does like certain profiles, though, even if the approach is tweaked, he’s a fan of full backs coming into midfield but also pushing high into half spaces to support the wide players.

He likes his wide players to act as traditional wingers, staying as wide and as high as possible. The backline have to be quick and prepared to take their time on the ball, build-up is very considered, and the ball isn’t launched long often, resulting in lots of intricate patterns of play but not always the penetration you would like to see from a top side.

Tottenham have struggled to find a clear identity under Ange Postecoglou in the Premier League this season, largely due to injuries, but his style of play has generally failed to convince the Spurs fans that he is the man to take them forward, evidenced by their position in the league table. Players are returning to fitness, which could spell a more fruitful end to the domestic campaign for Postecoglou’s men - if he does see out the season.

Tottenham will line up in a 4-3-3 shape, the use of full backs here by both managers will be really interesting. Ange Postecoglou and Enzo Maresca instruct their full backs to be part of the attacking sequence and occupy high positions in the half spaces, which will inevitably leave gaps in both backlines exploited by the opposing full backs. Chelsea certainly look more comfortable with this approach, which could leave Tottenham quite open if they are to match them with Destiny Udogie and Pedro Porro.

🏁 Chelsea v Tottenham Ref Watch

Referee: Craig Pawson

(Per game data from Pawson's 17 Premier League matches this season)

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* I recommend waiting for confirmed team line-ups before placing any bets.

* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing.