Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea: Looking to Banish the Blues

by Matthew Harris · Published 24th February 2023 · Updated 24th February 2023

Spurs may not have turned a corner, but the manner of last Sunday’s 2-0 home win over West Ham was pleasing. The defence tightened up, Fraser Forster kept his first clean sheet since stepping in for the injured Hugo Lloris, and it was all very positive.

Two counter attacking goals in the second half sealed the win and put us back into the top four. With Newcastle United engaged in their Carabao Cup final with Manchester United, Tottenham now have a chance to extend their advantage.

Next up is another Sunday home tie against London rivals. Chelsea have struggled for much of the season and last weekend’s 0-1 home defeat to bottom of the table Southampton rather sums up their campaign. Can Spurs continue their misery or will the Blues respond?

Team News

There are no changes in regards to two of the long term injury victims. Rodrigo Bentancur is out for the rest of the season, while Hugo Lloris is still pencilled in for a return to action on April 1st against Everton.

There is some updated news on Ryan Sessegnon and Yves Bissouma and it’s not positive in either case, Bissouma underwent surgery on a stress fracture in his ankle and he may also be out for the rest of the campaign.

There’s no planned return date for Sessegnon, although reports claim that the winger may be back in April after picking up a hamstring problem in training. There are no suspensions and no additional injuries that we are aware of, but do check into the club’s official channels for any confirmed updates.

Match Odds

There are odds against options for all three possible results and that suggests that the bookies are expecting a close game. Spurs will start as favourites and you can claim the home win at 10/7 with VBet. Victory for Chelsea follows at best industry odds of 21/10 with Quinnbet while the draw rounds off this section at 49/20 with Unibet.

That loss to Southampton last time out left Chelsea in tenth place in the table and they are 11 points off the Champions League slots. Speculation naturally surrounds the manager Graham Potter after the team picked up just six points from their last six matches. That’s relegation form, but one of our closest rivals will usually lift their game for this fixture and it will be as tough an assignment as it’s always been.

Side Markets

Harry Kane has yet to score since breaking the club’s all time record, but it was good to see him lay on an assist for Son Heung-Min last Sunday. Kane and Son in form would help in Spurs’ quest to hang on to that top four place, but can they make a difference this weekend?

Kane starts as the favourite to open the scoring on Sunday and he’s available at best odds of 21/5 with Unibet. Second on the list is Chelsea striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who is listed at 6/1 with VBet.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Sonny may not relish a role as an impact sub, but he’s been more potent coming off the bench this season. If you think he’ll get on the scoresheet first, he’s on offer at 7/1 with 888Sport.

Other options from within the Spurs camp include Arnaud Danjuma at 17/2 with Unibet, Richarlison at 10/1 with Unibet, Lucas Moura at 11/1 with 888Sport, Dejan Kulusevski at 18/1 with Unibet and Ivan Perisic at 22/1 with Ladbrokes.

In other side markets, Both Teams to Score is on offer for this match at best odds of 4/5 with Unibet. If you prefer to take the ‘no’ option on BTTS, this currently comes in at 12/11 with VBet.

Over in the Total Goals section, a stake Above the 2.5 line is currently being met at 68/67 with 10Bet. If we push that up one more notch, we can get 31/12 with VBet for the Over 3.5 bet.

Those that are anticipating a dull 90 minutes on Sunday could switch down to Under 2.5 goals which is on offer at a top price of 6/7 with VBet once again.

Any neutrals getting involved in the volatile Correct Score market may well be looking at a share of the points. A final, 2-2 scoreline could be a popular selection at 12/1 with 888Sport and Quinnbet. Any Spurs fans confident about the team’s chances could take the 2-1 home win at 9/1 with Quinnbet again, while the same outcome in favour of our opponents is also on offer at 9/1 – this time with Betway and Ladbrokes.

VILLARREAL, SPAIN – OCTOBER 17: Arnaut Danjuma of Villarreal CF celebrates scoring their team’s first goal during the LaLiga Santander match between Villarreal CF and CA Osasuna at Estadio de la Ceramica on October 17, 2022 in Villarreal, Spain. (Photo by Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images)

Last Season

Many of our games against Chelsea in the Premier League era have been forgettable and last season’s corresponding fixture was no exception. There’s not much to say about a game that we lost 3-0 when the Blues travelled to the new White Hart Lane on September 19th 2021.

Our head to head stats don’t make for good reading and that’s why us fans will not be overconfident, despite Chelsea’s poor form coming into Sunday’s game. While two wins in the Premier League in 2018 seemed to have broken the hoodoo, we haven’t beaten the Blues in normal time since.

This may be a good time to play Saturday’s opponents, but can Spurs take advantage?

Verdict

There’s nothing much we can add here that hasn’t already been said in the previous sections. Chelsea’s recent results suggest that they could be there for the taking, but we know that it’s not likely to be that straightforward.

February has been a difficult month with injuries and a poor performance at Leicester City, but the two most recent home games have been encouraging. Wins over Manchester City and West Ham, without conceding a goal in either match, should give the team some confidence.

We’ll avoid tipping the result, as always, but we’ll be hoping for a high scoring win. Both Teams to Score and Over 3.5 Goals are the two brief selections. Let’s look forward with hope, if not a degree of confidence, that the majority of those strikes go into Chelsea’s net.