The first ‘Big 6’ encounter of the season is here as Chelsea host Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League. Tottenham Hotspur is currently at the top of the Premier League standings and has made an excellent start to their league campaign. The North London outfit thrashed Southampton by a 4-1 margin last week and will be confident ahead of this fixture.
Chelsea, on the other hand, is in eighth place in the league table at the moment and will look to keep pace with their title rivals this month. The Blues edged Everton to a scrappy 1-0 victory in their previous game and will need to be at their best this weekend.
The two London clubs meet at Stamford Bridge for their 156th head-to-head meeting, in which the Blues hold a 70-47 advantage over Tottenham, with 38 draws. Last season Chelsea finished in third place, just three points above Tottenham, in the EPL table. However, the Spurs did end their campaign with six more losses
Form Guide: Tottenham
Tottenham was at their lethal best after punishing Southampton time and again on the counter. The Lilywhites ran out 4-1 victors after going a goal down in the opening 12 minutes. To everyone’s surprise, neither of the 4 goals involved either Harry Kane or Heung-Min Son, with Son’s sole involvement being an assist for Eric Dier’s goal.
Tottenham Hotspur was impressive against Southampton last week and will want to make a statement of intent against Chelsea. The likes of Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min can be lethal on their day and have a point to prove this weekend.
Although Tottenham hasn’t fared well against Chelsea in recent years it seems this could be their time to break that jinx.
Form Guide: Chelsea
The Blues edged Everton to a scrappy 1-0 victory in their previous game and will need to be at their best this weekend. Chelsea began their new season with a 1-0 win at Goodison Park against Everton and their former manager Frank Lampard. The Blues secured victory with a stoppage-time first-half penalty from Jorginho, who buried it in the bottom-left corner. The Stamford Bridge outfit was far from their best as they struggled to break down a resilient Toffees side. New signings Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly had a great first outing after standing out from the rest of their teammates.
Despite having spent big money this summer, the Blues were hardly convincing at Everton, with many of the problems to have derailed their title push last season emerging once more.
A London derby at such an early stage of the campaign, it’s going to be fascinating to see which of the two capital counterparts can make an early statement in the battle to become the city’s top dog.
How the game could go
Tuchel is likely to stick with the same kind of team who beat Everton, although Marc Cucurella could make his full debut in place of Ben Chilwell, who is still coming back from a long-term injury.
For Spurs, Ivan Perisic could come in for his debut at left wing-back, while Richarlison is no longer suspended. Still, given the form of Dejan Kulusevski, the Brazilian will likely start on the bench.
This fixture has all the material to be a Premier League classic given all the buildup this match has had. Both teams will also have the added pressure of losing and slipping up to their top four rivals, which will make this encounter all the more interesting.
We are going to witness a very tight game with none of the opposing sides willing to let the points be shared at such a crucial stage of the season
Betting Predictions
Draw
We’re backing this game to end in a draw, although both teams got off to winning starts last weekend. Chelsea is unbeaten in their last six competitive games against Tottenham but only managed a 1-0 win away at Everton in what has to be considered, an average performance. Tottenham scored plenty of goals at home to Southampton but couldn’t have asked for a much easier first game of the campaign and will be expecting a far tougher test at Stamford Bridge. Bet9ja have 3.40, 1xbet have 3.50 and Paripesa have 3.50 odds.
Under 2.5 Goals
Under 2.5 goals have been scored in four of the last five meetings between these two sides in league and cup, and we’re predicting another tight and tense 90-minutes on Sunday. Chelsea struggled in the final third against Everton but looked strong at the back with their only going arriving in the form of a penalty. Tottenham didn’t have much to do defensively against Southampton last time out and took advantage of their guest’s poor defending at the other end of the pitch. Two of both clubs’ last four matches have witnessed fewer than three goals scored. Bet9ja have 1.84 odds, Paripesa have 1.94 and 1xbet have 1.94 odds.
Anytime Goalscorer (Tottenham)
Kane
Still settling into the new season Kane would be gutted to not have been involved in the four-goal triumph over Southampton last weekend. The striker was prolific towards the end of last season after a rather poor start to the campaign. Today we have tipped him to score as he can provide his team with the goals needed to win when facing big sides. Bet9ja have 3.00 odds for him to score while Paripesa have 2.60.
Son
Heung Min Son was undoubtedly the best player for Tottenham last season as he bagged the golden boot in the league and also help his side qualify for the Champions League this season. He only provided an assist in his first game of the season but we are assured of goals from him this season. Bet9ja have 3.40 odds for him to score while Paripesa have 3.24.
Anytime Goalscorer (Chelsea)
Raheem Sterling
The prolific English forward made the move to London from a top 6 rival Manchester City. This would be his first taste of a London Derby and scoring against his opponents today wouldn’t be new to him. He had a very good performance in his first game in a blue shirt with only a goal lacking to top the performance. The winger looks to be the real deal and he could prove his money’s worth with a goal for Chelsea here today. Bet9ja have 3.60 odds for him to score while Paripesa have 3.20.
Mason Mount
Mason Mount had a performance to forget as he couldn’t seem to break the Everton defense last weekend, today he would be facing a more open Tottenham side and he could get the chances he needs to be on the scoresheet. He was influential to this Chelsea side last season with the most goals and assists in the Premier League for his side and this is a major point picking him here today. Bet9ja have 4.20 odds for him to score while Paripesa have 3.50.
Football Lover. All-round junkie of the beautiful game. Could be found watching football most of the time. If not he’s writing about them or making some punditry you don’t agree with. A certain bias for Arsenal and Santos FC.
