Tottenham v Chelsea
Tuesday 8th January 2000hrs
Football – England – EFL Cup
Pick: Tottenham
Bookmaker: Marathon Bet
Odds: 127/100 (odds taken 22.20 GMT, Monday 7th January)
League Cup Betting at Marathon Bet
We are down to the last four of the EFL Cup for this season and there is a mouth watering clash in store in the first of the semi-finals on Tuesday. The final will be played at this stadium and both of these clubs will be hoping to take a big step towards that showpiece occasion with a positive result tomorrow. Whomever wins this game will be favourites to win the competition as a whole so continue reading for a match preview of Tottenham against Chelsea with a selected best betting tip.
Tottenham Preview
Revenge was on the minds of Tottenham in the last round as they came face to face with their bitter rivals Arsenal. It was the second visit to the Emirates for Spurs in the space of a fortnight and having been humbled 4-2 in the league at the beginning of last month, Mauricio Pochettino’s team were determined not to let that happen again, turning in a dominant performance to win 2-0. It’s led to the club reaching the semi-final of this competition for the first time under this manager and the first time in general since 2009. That appearance came the following season to their last triumph in the League Cup and now 11 years on from that success, it remains the last time they lifted a trophy. It’s a real opportunity now for Spurs to go on and win some silverware which their supporters will feel is overdue. They could barely be in better form heading into this match with 14 wins in their last 17 games across all competitions, including a resounding 7-0 in the FA Cup on Friday.
Chelsea Preview
It’s Maurizio Sarri’s first season in English football and it would have been something of a culture shock for him getting accustomed to how busy the calendar is. Chelsea remain in all four competitions they entered at the beginning of the campaign and expectation will be increasing that they can once again end with some success. Sarri has elected to give some of his younger players and those on the fringe of the squad game time in the EFL Cup but it’s been a challenging passage to this stage, particularly their first game back in September, an away tie against Liverpool. Eden Hazard was the hero once again on that occasion and others have stepped up in the subsequent rounds to defeat Derby County and Bournemouth, both of which were narrow home victories. Unlike their opponents on Tuesday, this stage is very familiar for Chelsea who have reached the semi-finals in three of the last five years and won the cup back in 2015 under Jose Mourinho. The Blues were undone at this stage last year by the other major North London club, however, and will be hoping to go one better – further increasing the chances of Sarri’s maiden season in England ending with a trophy.
Tottenham v Chelsea Betting Advice
There’s no love lost between these two clubs and the two-legged semi-final should be plenty interesting as a result. Spurs were far too good for Chelsea back in November in the league when running out 3-1 winners and they will hoping for a similar result to take into the return game which takes place in just under a fortnight at Stamford Bridge. Neither of these managers would have seen this competition as a priority at the beginning of the season but there’s no escaping for how big a chance it is to not only reach the final, but win the whole thing.
Spurs and Chelsea took advantage of kind draws in the FA Cup at the weekend to heavily rotate their squads with this game in mind and we can expect to see much more familiar starting elevens on Tuesday. The hosts will approach this game as they always do by looking to play on the front foot and dominate their opponent – they have to take the initiative playing at home in the first leg. Sarri, on the other hand, may look to alter his tactics as he looks for a much better result than the on his team gained on their last visit to Wembley.
Tottenham have been in cruise control in the domestic cup competitions this season and have already dispatched three London clubs en route to the semi-final. They will still have a job to do in the return leg but they can take a big step towards the final by winning on Tuesday.
