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Can Chelsea close in on the top four with win against Spurs?
A preview and infographic ahead of Chelsea’s huge Premier League clash with Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge this weekend.
Chelsea host Tottenham Hotspur in one of the most important Premier League games over the Easter weekend.
Last season’s Premier League champions currently sit outside the Champions League places, directly below Spurs, and five points behind.
Antonio Conte’s side will be desperate for the three points to close the gap with only seven games remaining after Sunday’s fixture.
Liverpool are only two points ahead of Tottenham and have played a game more than both London clubs, giving Chelsea a real opportunity to close the gap on the top four with three points this weekend.
On top of this, Jurgen Klopp’s side have Manchester City in the Champions League quarter-final, meaning they could easily drop points in the Premier League matches either side.
Chelsea should fancy their chances on home soil against their London rivals. Conte’s side became the first ever team to win a Premier League game at Wembley Stadium when they beat Spurs 2-1 at England’s national stadium back in August.
Tottenham have never won at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League era but must think this is as good as any time to break that duck.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side are currently unbeaten in their last 12 league games – winning nine. They have scored 26 goals during this run and only conceded seven. Jan Vertonghen and Davinson Sanchez have formed a reliable partnership in central defence following the long-term absence of Toby Alderweireld. And despite making a couple of costly errors this season, Hugo Lloris remains one of the top goalkeepers in the world.
However, bookmakers Betfair have Chelsea as the 6/5 favourites and Tottenham at 21/10 with their football betting odds.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have lost four of their last six league encounters and only won three of their last nine. This includes a 3-0 thrashing at home by Bournemouth and 4-1 at Watford. Top goalscorer Eden Hazard has not scored in any of his last six and Alvaro Morata hasn’t had the most productive of debut seasons in England.
Chelsea’s defence has been a shadow of last season when they conceded only 33 goals throughout the entire campaign, compared to 27 in the first 30 this time around.
The below graphic from Betfair highlights both team’s head-to-head records in the Premier League era as well as all the trophies they have won in their respective existence:
