The battle for fourth place doesn’t sound too exciting at first, but staying in position for that final UEFA Champions League qualification slot, and all the revenue that comes with it, is critical. It’s extremely relevant, as is any match-up between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, two London clubs that have seen their rivalry heat up immensely in recent years.
Spurs were the last club standing between Chelsea and the Premier League title last season. In 2016, the Blues were the side that officially ended Tottenham’s chances of taking the league title away from underdog for the ages Leicester City. It was the infamous “Battle of the Bridge” contest which turned extremely ugly and violent.
Looking ahead to this Sunday’s clash at Stamford Bridge, it’s pretty much a must win for the Blues, who now sit five points behind Spurs, with only seven matches left to play after the conclusion of this one. The good news for Chelsea is that they have not lost to Tottenham at home since 1990. The bad news is they haven’t beaten a top four rival since November.
Of course, not having to face Harry Kane will make the task for Antonio Conte’s men much less difficult. That all said, let’s look at who Conte will likely select in the first team.
The Sports Bank’s Chelsea FC Starting XI Prediction:
Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois
Defenders: Antonio Rudiger, Cesar Azpilicueta, Andreas Christensen
Midfielders: N’Golo Kante, Cesc Fabregas, Victor Moses, Marcos Alonso
Forwards: Pedro, Eden Hazard, Willian
Odds: Chelsea 7/5, Draw 23/10, Tottenham 9/4
Antonio Conte press conference video: go to this link
Injury Report for both teams: go to this link
Tottenham Hotspur starting XI prediction: go to this link
Prediction: Chelsea 1, Tottenham 0
Feel free to post your own Chelsea and/or Tottenham starting XI predictions, as well as your best guess as to what the final score will be.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV and the Tribune company’s blogging community Chicago Now.
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