Tottenham vs Chelsea
Premier League
White Hart Lane, London
Sunday 12th December 2010
16:00 BST
Fresh from securing their high-scoring passage through to the knock-out phases of the Champions League midweek, Tottenham will be riding on the crest of a wave going into Saturday’s top-four bout with Chelsea – knowing that a win over their beleaguered neighbours could potentially hoist them level on points with rival title pretenders Manchester City, should Roberto Mancini‘s squabbling side conspire to falter against table-footing West Ham the day before.
By way of contrast, a couple of months ago it seemed unthinkable that Chelsea would be having to reclaim the Premier League top spot from anybody before Christmas, but a woeful streak of lapse form in both the league and in Europe has seen Carlo Ancelotti‘s ailing squadron take on a vulnerable edge of late – winning, as they have, just one of their last six domestic fixtures.
The Formbook:
Having forged a frustrating draw against a gritty Birmingham set-up in their last Premier League outing, Tottenham are currently on a seven-game unbeaten run (in all competitions) since last losing out to Bolton back at the beginning of November – employing an attack-centred ethos with reckless abandon and, by and large, getting their just rewards for putting on spectacle after spectacle.
In the same period, Chelsea have been utterly moribund and, bar some rough luck against Birmingham, have been fully deserving of their slump – with little in the way of spark or creativity manifesting itself for nearly an entire month.
However, thanks largely to their juggernaut form at the start of the campaign, disappointing results against Everton, Newcastle and Sunderland have not yet proved critical in entirely scotching their collective title aspirations.
Realistically, the blip cannot afford to go on much longer, and some reports are even suggesting that Ancelotti’s immediate future at the Blues may depend on the malaise ending at White Hart Lane this weekend.
Frank Lampard is scheduled to return to the Chelsea fold
Last Five Premier League Meetings:
- 2009/2010, Tottenham 2 – 1 Chelsea, White Hart Lane
- 2009/2010, Chelsea 3 – 0 Tottenham, Stamford Bridge
- 2008/2009, Tottenham 1 -0 Chelsea, White Hart Lane
- 2008/2009, Chelsea 1 – 1 Tottenham, Stamford Bridge
- 2007/2008, Tottenham 4 -4 Chelsea, White Hart Lane
The Build-Up in Quotes:
“We look to score and we look to attack teams at every opportunity. We’re open. I feel we’ve got to play people who can score and people who can hurt teams and that’s how we’ve approached the games.”
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp vows to keep on ‘avin’ a go.
“There is no point us panicking. We realise we are not playing as well as we can, the players realise there is a lot more to give and to come. Sunday is a massive derby for us and for the fans. We’re hoping to kick-start an important time for us.”
Chelsea captain John Terry issues a rallying cry to his troops.
“You could say it is a good time to play Chelsea, but top teams, when they’ve had a little blip, sometimes they can just turn it on. So, even though they’re not winning games, it’s going to be a difficult game.”
Tottenham striker Jermaine Defoe, who is five goals short of his 100th Spurs strike.
“We have to keep going and look forward. We have another great opportunity against Tottenham, a difficult game away against a top team, and now everyone thinks we will lose that game.”
Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti admits his side may be seen as underdogs.
Injury and Selection Updates:
Spurs talisman Rafael van der Vaart is highly doubtful to make it back to fitness in time for the weekend, with a hamstring injury taking slightly longer to shore up than first estimated – though Luka Modric is fully expected to recover from an slight illness that he picked up during the week.
Good news for Spurs is that defender Michael Dawson may be handed his first start for nearly two months after injuring his knee ligaments whilst on England duty back in September.
Centre-back and Arsenal-slaying hero Younes Kaboul faces a late test on a hip problem, but long-term absentees Tom Huddlestone, Ledley King, Jonathon Woodgate and Jamie O’Hara are all still unavailable.
Chelsea have several fitness concerns, with Alex and Yossi Benayoun still sidelined with knee and Achilles injuries respectively. Russian flyer Yuri Zhirkov is also rated as ‘doubtful’ with the strained calf muscle that kept him out of Wednesday’s Champions League defeat to Marseille.
There may be a smidgen of positive news for Ancelotti though, as the club’s medical staff are hopeful that stalwart midfielder Frank Lampard will be ready to make his long-awaited, after undergoing surgery on a hernia that has kept him out of action since August.
Prediction:
Late Lampard strike dramatically buys Signor Ancelotti some much-needed time…
Tottenham 0 – 1 Chelsea
