💎 Gem Bet: Joao Palhinha - Over 0.5 Shots @ 1.72 (bet365)

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Chelsea are really struggling to deal with direct balls into the box at the moment, primarily from long throw ins, which can open up an angle for Palhinha to have a shot in this encounter. You’d usually associate Palhinha with his work off the ball with the 30 year old being excellent when it comes to winning the ball back and coming out on top in defensive duels. However, he’s got an extra role in this Tottenham side which should come to the fore here.

Palhinha has had 10 shots across his nine Premier League appearances this season (1.30 per 90). This shot record has returned two goals and Palhinha should be afforded opportunities to increase his shot count here with Chelsea’s current defensive issues. The Blues conceded two goals from long throws during the week against Wolves, after already conceding a goal from a long throw against Sunderland at the weekend.

Chelsea can be bullied in the box which leads to opposition sides having success against them from set piece situations. To outline just how much of an issue this has been for Chelsea, here are some key stats around their defensive record when it comes to set pieces:

6.10 xG conceded from set pieces (1st)
9.80% shots conceded from set pieces (2nd)
45.01% xG conceded from set pieces (1st) 

Palhinha can play a big role in further contributing to Chelsea’s poor record when it comes to defending set pieces. He’s a physical presence who Frank can look to platform from these situations - Tottenham have already been really successful from set pieces under Thomas Frank with five of their 17 goals coming from this avenue.

There is real value in this selection when backing with Bet365, the same market is priced as low as 1.3 with other comparable bookmakers.