MX23RW : Thursday, April 25 23:51:58| >> :120:4877:4877:
[monks data]
Chelsea logo
Premier League
Dec 3, 2014 at 7.45pm UK
 
Spurs logo

3-0

Hazard (19'), Drogba (22'), Remy (73')
FT(HT: 2-0)

Preview: Chelsea vs. Tottenham Hotspur

Sports Mole looks at how Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are preparing for Wednesday's meeting at Stamford Bridge.

On Saturday morning, some were already labelling Chelsea as the champions, but one weekend can quickly change things in the Premier League.

Jose Mourinho's side still have not been beaten, but a goalless draw against Sunderland followed by Manchester City's comfortable victory at Southampton was enough for many to question whether the title race will be much closer.

In truth, even at this stage of the season Chelsea are firm favourites to lift the title, but Mourinho will want to see a reaction against Tottenham Hotspur after his side were stifled by Sunderland's impressive defensive play.

If they are to return to winning ways, they will have to do so without Diego Costa, who will miss the meeting with Spurs due to suspension.

The Spaniard's absence will give either Didier Drogba or Loic Remy a rare chance to lead the attack, but there could be more changes as Mourinho looks to freshen up his side ahead of a hectic schedule.

Spurs will be underdogs to claim a positive result at a ground where they have struggled to upset their rivals over the years.

However, Mauricio Pochettino's side head into the game with renewed confidence thanks to a 2-1 victory over Everton, in which the Spurs players finally seemed to become more comfortable with the Argentine's fast pressing style.

Despite being criticised throughout the early stages of the season, Spurs now find themselves just two points outside the top four, and a win over the leaders would give Pochettino's team a big boost ahead of the Christmas schedule.

Spurs will be hoping that Vlad Chiriches can shake off a muscle injury, but Kyle Naughton or Eric Dier are on standby to deputise should the Romanian miss out.

Chelsea:

Form in Premier League: WDWWWD
Form in all competitions: WDWWWD

Possible starting lineup: Courtois; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta; Matic, Fabregas; Schurrle, Oscar, Hazard; Remy

Spurs:

Form in Premier League: LLWLWW
Form in all competitions: WWLWWW

Possible starting lineup: Lloris; Naughton, Vertonghen, Fazio, Davies; Lennon, Bentaleb, Mason, Eriksen; Kane, Soldado

Sports Mole says: 2-1


ID:191122: cacheID:191122:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:5316:No Data Analysis info

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Restore Data
Share this article now:
Diego Costa of Chelsea looks on with a ripped shirt during the Barclays Premier League match between Liverpool and Chelsea at Anfield on November 8, 2014
Read Next:
Mourinho unconcerned by Costa absence
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
10am
Bublik
Carballes Baena
10am
Marozsan
Cerundolo
10am
Musetti
Seyboth Wild
10am
Paul
Klein
10am
Rublev
Bagnis
10am
Andreeva
Noskova
10am
Bronzetti
Rybakina
10am
Garcia
Wang
10am
Pavlyuchenkova
Saville
11.30am
Altmaier
Fils
11.30am
Martin Etcheverry
Shapovalov
11.30am
Alexandrova
Krueger
11.30am
Bucsa
Kasatkina
11.30am
Dolehide
Kalinina
11.30am
Jimenez Kasintseva
Paolini
11.30am
Linette
Sabalenka
1pm
Baez
Van Assche
1pm
Hurkacz
Draper
1pm
Bejlek
Kalinskaya
1pm
Cristian
Krejcikova
1pm
Kostyuk
Sherif
2pm
Zheng
Putintseva
2.30pm
Humbert
Van De Zandschulp
2.30pm
Darderi
Fritz
2.30pm
Boulter
Montgomery
3pm
Shevchenko
Alcaraz
3.30pm
Vondrousova
Rogers
4pm
Griekspoor
Daniel
4pm
Munar
Struff
5pm
Navone
Rune
7pm
Coric
Zverev
8.30pm
Collins
Danilovic
11.30am
Shang
Davidovich Fokina
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal34245582265677
2Manchester CityMan City33237380324876
3Liverpool34228475344174
4Aston Villa34206871502166
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs32186865491660
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd33165125150153
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle331551369541550
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham34139125463-948
9Chelsea32138116157447
10Bournemouth34129134960-1145
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton331111115254-244
12Wolverhampton WanderersWolves34127154654-843
13Fulham34126165054-442
14Crystal Palace34109154456-1239
15Brentford3498175259-735
16Everton34118153648-1233
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3479184260-1826
18Luton TownLuton3467214775-2825
19Burnley3458213769-3223
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd3437243392-5916


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!