Chelsea have at last moved to the top of the table. This is in stark contrast to the 2015-16 season when they finished at a horrific 10th. Under coach Antonio Conte the Blues have turned around big time. On Sunday, they scored their sixth consecutive Premier League win and clean sheet, too. Conte’s boys now prepare to receive Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge on November 26. The Spurs are the only unbeaten side in the EPL so far and will be probably be running into their toughest opposition in months.
Conte will definitely stick to his three-man defense strategy and choose his starting XI on recent form. The good thing for the Blues is that the absence of some of their stars (Branislav Ivanovic and Cesc Fabregas owing to injuries, Willian and Oscar on compassionate leave) have allowed players like Marcos Alonso, Victor Moses and Pedro to blossom. A perfect sync between Matic, Moses and Luiz, Azpilicueta,Cahill at the back has resulted in freeing up Eden Hazard at the front. The brilliant Belgian forward had spent most of his last season performing defensive duties. This time Hazard and Costa are a dangerous foil and have got as many as 17 goals between them.
The Tottenham goal would come under a lot of pressure on Saturday, there’s little doubt about that. The Spurs defence was put under pressure last weekend whenever West Ham counter-attacked. The upshot was two conceded despite a 67 per cent possession rate. For Mauricio Pochettino, there’s hope in the mid-field in the form of 20-year debutant Harry Winks who got his first goal in the West Ham clash. Winks showed eagerness to win the ball and never shied of opportunities whenever it came his way. But Harry Kane will be the key factor for the Spurs going into Saturday’s clash. He showed why he could be so dangerous when he exploded right at the end during injury time with a brace of goals to save his team the blushes in the narrow 3-2 win against West Ham.The brilliant Delle Alli could feature in the starting XI having fully recovered from his injuries. In that case, Vincent Janssen could be benched given his unimpressive run of form. Danny Rose will be out on suspension and Darren Fletcher could make the cut in his place.The Spurs defence is looking more and more suspect with each passing game and have conceded half of their eight goals of the season in just their last three Premier League outings. One can’t imagine Pochettino’s not conceding at least once at Stamford Bridge against a Chelsea attack on the rampage.
For Chelsea, it’s a clear opportunity to remain at the top of the table and as for the Spurs, it looks like they will be sticking to the 5th place for some time to come. Odds clearly favour the hosts at Stamford Bridge in November 26th’s game.
Recommended Tip:
Both Teams to Score, Best Odds 8/11 @ Betfred
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