Prediction: Chelsea vs Tottenham

Fresh from the minor setback against Sunderland, Premier League leaders Chelsea play host to local rivals Tottenham Hotspur looking to safeguard the six-point advantage at the top or potentially increase it. Spurs arrive at Stamford Bridge in good spirits having defeated Everton to make it three wins in four, but it remains to be seen whether they are good enough to match arguably the strongest team in the league.

Having played so well in the opening exchanges and showed incredible consistency, Chelsea are rightly considered the main candidates for the Premier League trophy and no doubt the title is theirs to lose. Some are even suggesting the Blues could repeat the heroics of Arsene Wenger’s Invincibles and end the campaign without a defeat, although Jose Mourinho is not getting carried away. The Portuguese manager is determined to help his side keep the rich vein of form as long as possible and Chelsea do look more than capable of holding off challenge from holders Manchester City. The Blues suffered a first setback in a while as they were held to a goalless draw by inspired Sunderland, but with Black Cats losing mere three matches so far this season and set to host City on Wednesday evening, this might not prove to be such a bad result after all. It was Diego Costa’s fifth yellow card that had everyone at the club worried with the Spain international now set to miss the Spurs clash, although Didier Drogba and Loic Remy can be trusted to successfully deputize for the in-form striker. With all other first team regulars fully fit and Chelsea winning all six home fixtures this term, conceding mere three goals in the process, I seriously doubt inconsistent Tottenham will be able to stop the Blues in their tracks.

It is possible that team’s Europa League campaign and busy schedule in the opening exchanges prevented Spurs from hitting the ground running early on, but the reality is Tottenham have spent a lot of time searching for their form. New manager Mauricio Pochettino was also trying to find the best starting eleven, although it appears things are slowly falling into place. Spurs were by no means impressive over the last couple of months, but they showed a lot of character to emerge victorious from some evenly matched games, while they were somewhat fortunate in others. Even so, the spirits are high at White Hart Lane following the run of six wins in last seven fixtures on all fronts, although Mauricio Pochettino and his men are well aware that the Chelsea clash will be a whole different ball game. With Tottenham facing problems at both ends of the pitch, I don’t think they’ve got what it takes to match the best side in the league on the road, especially given the Blues’ impressive home record. The visitors will have Kyle Naughton back from suspension, but Kyle Walker remains sidelined and Emmanuel Adebayor, Etienne Capoue and Danny Rose all face fitness tests.

Conclusion

Chelsea players will be eager to prove the Sunderland result was just a one-off and with the Blues relentless at their Stamford Bridge, I cannot see Spurs getting anything from this game. Tottenham did raise their form of late, but they still lack the “je ne sais quoi” needed to frustrate Chelsea away from home.

Verdict: Home win Chelsea (1)

Best Odds: 4/9

Bookmaker: bet365