Tottenham are having a much better season than their London rivals, who just cannot seem to deliver a good performance. Although Chelsea managed a narrow 1-0 win over Norwich City at Stamford Bridge, they could only climb to 15th place. By losing seven in nine games, their title chances are already over, while the Champions League remains a distant prospect.
Expectations
Spurs beat West Ham in a convincing 4-1 victory to move two points behind Arsenal in fourth. Had they managed to beat the Gunners like they should a couple of weeks ago, then they would be in a Champions League spot. Chelsea’s failure to finish in the top four is more likely to benefit Tottenham than it is Leicester City, who could be brought back down to earth in the coming weeks.
Tottenham have gradually blended as a team and are now capable of strong defensive performances and also scoring goals. Since coming back from injury, the excellent Christian Eriksen has helped Harry Kane return to goal-scoring form. The England youngster has played incredibly well in recent weeks to score eight goals in 13 games.
Norwich had conceded 23 goals in 12 games prior to facing Chelsea last Saturday, yet the Blues laboured to a 1-0 win that was eventually secured by Diego Costa. Chelsea should have been able to deliver a more convincing win, but José Mourinho was more than happy to take the three points. The Portuguese manager is still at risk of losing his job, but has breathing room for another week.
Chelsea’s limp attack has only been able to score 17 league goals this season, and that is despite the presence of stars like Eden Hazard and Cesc Fàbregas. Both have ben quite poor this season and simply are not playing their best. Tottenham’s Mousa Dembélé, Eric Dier, and Dele Alli have formed a dominant midfield trio that can control games.
Match Tips
Tip one: Draw @ 3.40
Tip two: Under 2.5 goals @ 1.85
Both managers will be fearful of losing this tense London derby. Expect a degree of caution and perhaps only a couple of goals as an agreeable draw is played out at odds of 3.40
