Tottenham Hotspur have lost their last two meetings against Chelsea FC, although both were on the road at Stamford Bridge. They also didn’t have Jose Mourinho in charge during either of those meetings. On Sunday, Mourinho will host his longtime star midfielder Frank Lampard, and his Blues for what will no doubt be the most anticipated Premier League match of the weekend.
A loss here would be devastating for the Chelsea boss, as they have already lost four of their last five league fixtures. These days Lampard is being asked much more about who he might buy come January, instead of how well his youthful rebuilding project is going. That’s understandable- given how poor his side has looked lately. It’s clear, they badly need reinforcements this January transfer window, so they are fortunate to have had the transfer ban lifted.
“I am happy to go up against Jose [Mourinho], it was a big deal last year [with Derby against Manchester United],” said Lampard. “I have a big respect for him. The big thing is Chelsea versus Spurs, it is what the rivalry means to my players.”
Let’s take a look at who the 41-year-old may select for his first team in this one.
Chelsea FC Starting XI Prediction (4-3-3) at Tottenham Hotspur
Pulisic Abraham Hudson-Odoi
Mount Kovacic Kante
Emerson Rudiger Tomori Azpilicueta
Kepa
Tottenham Hotspur v. Chelsea FYIs
Sunday Dec 22, 11:30 a.m. ET on NBCSN, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
Starting XI Predictions: Chelsea Tottenham Hotspur
Team news for both sides: go to this link
Form Guide: Tottenham Hotspur- WWLWW Chelsea FC- LLWLL
Referee: Anthony Taylor
Google Result Probability: Tottenham Hotspur win 40%, Draw 27%, Chelsea win 33%
Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur 2, Chelsea 2
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
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