Prediction: Chelsea vs Tottenham

Verdict: Both teams to score

Best Odds: 5/8

Bookmaker: William Hill


Chelsea will be looking to end Tottenham’s Premier League title hopes by defeating their local rivals at Stamford Bridge, that is unless Leicester City secure the coveted trophy with a triumph at Old Trafford. If the Foxes fail to win said match, Spurs will attempt to close the gap by defeating the Blues and showing who’s the new boss in the capital.

Chelsea

This season will mark the end of an era at Stamford Bridge and one of the most successful periods in club’s history and it will be up to new manager Antonio Conte to get the Blues back where they belong. Mid table finish that is on the cards is a far cry from last year’s title-winning campaign, but provided the new boss brings in several high-quality players in the summer, Chelsea should be challenging for the Premiership trophy next term. There will be four more fixtures to negotiate before the summer holidays, and while the Blues will have nothing to play for in those games, matches against Spurs, Liverpool and Leicester City will serve as a perfect opportunity for Guus Hiddink’s charges to prove they are still capable of matching the best sides in the league. Chelsea players were hoping to put a dent into Tottenham’s title hopes, but with West Bromwich having beaten them to it, the Monday’s game will not be as important as it would have been had Spurs won last Monday. The good news is that the Blues recovered well from back to back Premier League defeats to hammer AFC Bournemouth in Dorset, with Eden Hazard scoring a brace to suggest he may be slowly returning to his best.

Team News

Chelsea boss Guus Hiddink has moved to confirm that John Terry and Gary Cahill have recovered from injury and they could both start against Spurs.

Asmir Begovic will continue to deputise for the suspended Thibaut Courtois, whereas Loic Remy and Kurt Zouma remain sidelined.



Tottenham

If it hand’t been for Leicester City’s unexpected rise to stardom, this would have been a dream season for Tottenham Hotspur, but the reality is that Spurs can be proud of what they have achieved even if they end up missing out on the coveted trophy. Mauricio Pochettino’s men have played great football through the season, they showed incredible consistency and character, but they just could not keep up with the outstanding Foxes, with last week’s draw against West Bromwich all but ending their title hopes. The only way Spurs can win the title now is by winning their remaining games and Leicester failing to emerge victorious in games against Man Utd, Everton and Chelsea, which is definitely a tall order. Nevertheless, Tottenham will want to keep their part of the bargain and attempt to finish the season in style, and they definitely will not be lacking motivation at Stamford Bridge. Tables have finally turned as Spurs are now genuine title contenders and the Blues find themselves in mid table obscurity, so no doubts that the visitors will be looking to remind their bitter rivals of the new order of things.

Team News

Talented midfielder Dele Alli starts a three-match ban, meaning he will not be playing again this season, which is not such a bad thing from Roy Hodgson’s perspective.

Eric Dier faces a fitness test after suffering a concussion against West Brom, but he is expected to start, leaving Nabil Bentaleb as the only unavailable player at the moment.

Key Factors to Consider

• Spurs have one win in last 13 meetings with Chelsea (D6 L6)
• Chelsea won last three home games vs Tottenham
• The Blues failed to win any of their last four fixtures at Stamford Bridge
• Both teams scored in eight of their last nine home matches
• Spurs scored in 21 of 24 away games this season

Conclusion

There will not be much at stake apart from bragging rights for either of the sides, but we still expect both Chelsea and Spurs to give their best in an attempt to win the local derby. With both sides looking good at the moment, we could see goals galore at Stamford Bridge.

Verdict: Both teams to score

Best Odds: 5/8

Bookmaker: William Hill