English Premier
2019-12-22 - Tottenham Hotspur vs Chelsea
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Sunday 22nd December 2019 - Kick Off 4:30pm
This game is live on TV
Tottenham Hotspur
They might not have deserved the win last Sunday, but Jose Mourinho won't mind that and instead will look at the character of his Tottenham Hotspur team to ride out a storm and still earn three points. Finishing in the top four is still very much the aim for Tottenham Hotspur and that makes this an important game for them, even more than the traditional rivalry with Chelsea will make it.
Thanks to results last weekend Tottenham Hotspur moved up to 5th in the Premier League table and they are now just 3 points behind 4th placed Chelsea and a win would take Spurs into the top four. The side have a 5-2-1 record at their new Stadium in the Premier League this season and Tottenham Hotspur have scored 19 goals and conceded 7.
Tottenham Hotspur have won 2 and lost 2 of their last 4 games in all competitions, but they have won consecutive Premier League games. They are unbeaten in 6 home games in all competitions since their 2-7 loss to Bayern Munich and Tottenham Hotspur have won 3 in a row here under Jose Mourinho while scoring three or more goals in each.
Ben Davies, Tanguy Ndombele and Erik Lamela are expected to miss out.
Chelsea
No one will dispute that this has been a very positive first half of the season for Chelsea who are sitting in the top four of the Premier League and have reached the Champions League Knock Out Rounds. However a young team has perhaps been hitting a wall of late and so the January transfer window cannot come quick enough for Frank Lampard who appreciates some additional quality is needed so the team can achieve their aims.
A disappointing home loss last weekend has seen teams like Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United close in on Chelsea's 4th place in the Premier League table, although they remain 3 points ahead of the former. The Blues have a 5-0-3 record away from home where they have scored 20 goals and conceded 17.
Chelsea have now won 2 of their last 7 games in all competitions, but the 4 losses in that time is a worrying trend for Frank Lampard. They have not won any of 3 away games in all competitions and Chelsea have conceded at least twice in each of those fixtures. Chelsea have lost back to back away Premier League games at Manchester City and Everton.
Fikayo Tomori and Olivier Giroud are both doubts for the visitors.
Head to Head
Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur met four times last season and all of those games were won by the home team.
Tottenham Hotspur have won 3 of the last 4 games they have hosted against Chelsea.
Prediction
For the second time in December Jose Mourinho is going to be leading his new Tottenham Hotspur team into a fixture against a former club he has managed in England. While the Manchester United fans gave Mourinho a good reception, he can't really expect the same from the Chelsea fans travelling to North London who despite Tottenham Hotspur more than United.
Even in his time at Old Trafford the Chelsea fans were not too far away from giving Mourinho stick so I imagine he is prepared to hear some more from those fans this weekend.
All Jose Mourinho will be looking for is a big performance from his Tottenham Hotspur players that can inspire the home crowd to drown out the visitors and he will feel he can get one. They might not have been at their best last weekend, but Tottenham Hotspur won and they have also won 3 in a row at home under Mourinho while scoring three or more goals each time.
They will feel they can expose a Chelsea team who have not won any of their last 3 away games in all competitions and The Blues have conceded at least twice in each of those fixtures.
While Chelsea have still looked threatening going forward, a young team have just hit the wall of late with 4 losses in 7 games in all competitions. Young players will sometimes just lack the consistency teams are looking for and Frank Lampard has recognised Chelsea need to bring in some experience in the January transfer window to really push on.
Earlier in the season they were playing very well away from home, but Chelsea have lost back to back Premier League games on their travels. Chelsea have also struggled against the top teams in the Division with losses to Manchester United, Liverpool, Manchester City and draws at home with Leicester City and Sheffield United.
With that in mind I do think backing Tottenham Hotspur on the Asian Handicap is the right play here. I am still not convinced by the defending Spurs have produced, but they have been scoring enough goals to make up for that and I just think the experience factor is with the home team which can make the difference in games like this one.
Tottenham Hotspur don't have the best record against the top clubs they have faced, but the win over Wolves will give them a boost and I would be surprised if the home team were to lose this fixture.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Chelsea
