MX23RW : Thursday, December 12 20:01:10| >> :120:3613:3613:
[monks data]
Spurs logo
Premier League
Jan 1, 2015 at 5.30pm UK
 
Chelsea logo

5-3

Kane (30', 52'), Rose (44'), Townsend (45' pen.), Chadli (78')
FT(HT: 3-1)
Costa (18'), Hazard (61'), Terry (87')

Preview: Tottenham Hotspur vs. Chelsea

Sports Mole looks ahead to the New Year's Day London derby between in-form Tottenham and league leaders Chelsea at White Hart Lane.

London rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea will renew hostilities at White Hart Lane this Thursday as they meet in the late New Year's Day kickoff.

The clash comes less than a month after they met at Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea made light work of Diego Costa's absence to cruise to a 3-0 victory.

Costa is fit and firing for this one, however, and will look to start 2015 in the same way he finished 2014, having netted in Chelsea's last two games.

His goal was only enough to earn Chelsea a point against Southampton at St Mary's on Sunday, but Manchester City's shock collapse against Burnley ensured that Jose Mourinho's side escaped with their three-point lead at the top of the table intact.

The Portuguese boss was still not happy, however, and will have an eye keenly trained on referee Phil Dowd, having complained of a "campaign" against his side following a fourth booking for diving this season.

It doesn't seem to have had an impact on performances so far, though, with Chelsea boasting the joint-best attack and the stingiest defence in the division.

Mourinho has no new injury concerns but could opt to make a couple of changes to keep things fresh, with Cesar Azpilicueta and Oscar among those to be pushing for a recall.

A match against the league leaders is certainly not the easiest way to start the New Year, but Spurs will be full of confidence going into the clash having started to find a bit of form under Mauricio Pochettino.

The North Londoners ended 2014 with a five-match unbeaten streak in all competitions, although they did miss the chance to temporarily move into the top four when they played out a goalless draw with Manchester United on Sunday.

They remain just two points off the Champions League places, however, and with Southampton and Arsenal facing each other in an earlier kickoff, victory over Chelsea would see them put more pressure on the teams above them.

White Hart Lane is beginning to become a challenging place to visit too, with Spurs now unbeaten at home in their last six games in all competitions, conceding just two goals in that time.

Nabil Bentaleb missed the draw with United due to illness and will be assessed nearer to kickoff, but is expected to return in place of Benjamin Stambouli.

Erik Lamela and Kyle Walker could also return to the starting lineup, while Harry Kane is likely to lead the line once again having enjoyed a productive December.

Spurs:

Form in Premier League: LDWWWD
Form in all competitions: LWWWWD

Possible starting lineup: Lloris; Walker, Fazio, Vertonghen, Davies; Mason, Bentaleb, Lamela, Eriksen, Chadli; Kane

Chelsea:

Form in Premier League: WLWWWD
Form in all competitions: WWWWWD

Possible starting lineup: Courtois; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta; Fabregas, Matic, Willian, Oscar, Hazard; Costa

Sports Mole says: 1-2


ID:196286: cacheID:196286:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:6037:
Written by
Barney Corkhill
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:
Chelsea's German striker Andre Schurrle celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the UEFA Champions League group G football match at Stamford Bridge in London on December 10, 2014
Read Next:
Team News: Three changes for Chelsea
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool14112129111835
2Chelsea1594235181731
3Arsenal1585229151429
4Manchester CityMan City158342721627
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest157441918125
6Aston Villa157442323025
7Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton156632522324
8Bournemouth157352320324
9Brentford157263128323
10Fulham156542220223
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1562731191220
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle155551921-220
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd155461918119
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham155372028-818
15Everton143561421-714
16Leicester CityLeicester153572130-914
17Crystal Palace152761420-613
18Ipswich TownIpswich151681427-139
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1523102338-159
20Southampton1512121131-205


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!