CHELSEA

EFL Cup Chelsea vs Tottenham: Match Preview, team news, and predicted lineups

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Chelsea will be hosting Tottenham Hotspur for the first leg of the semi-final of the EFL Cup. The fixture will take place at 1:15 am IST on 6th January at Stamford Bridge. Both teams will fight for a place in the finals of the EFL Cup. This will be a two-legged fixture and the winner will be decided by the aggregate score.

Chelsea progressed into the semi-finals by beating Brentford 0-2 in the quarter-finals. The Blues are facing an injury crisis and suffering from a dip in results. As a result, they can find it difficult to overcome Tottenham for a place in the finals. However, they still have a good enough squad and are still very much capable of upsetting Spurs.

Chelsea form in all competitions: D W W D D

Tottenham entered the semi-finals by beating West Ham 2-1 in the quarter-finals. Spurs found their form back under Antonio Conte and are becoming a tough team to beat. However, they will have to be cautious of how Chelsea can be dangerous at times and not lose their focus.

Tottenham form in all competitions: D W W D W

Team News

EFL Cup Chelsea vs Tottenham: The Blues team news

Following his revealing interview, Lukaku was withdrawn from the squad to face Liverpool at the weekend, although he may return after an apology. Whereas, Edouard Mendy is with Senegal for the Africa Cup of Nations. Consequently, Kepa Arrizabalaga will take over in goal in place of Mendy.

Moreover, Jorginho, Callum Hudson-Odoi, and possibly even Saul Niguez can expect to play from the start. Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Timo Werner may be able to return from COVID-19 in time to play. However, Trevoh Chalobah, Reece James, Ben Chilwell, and Andreas Christensen are expected to miss out.

Chelsea possible starting lineup

Kepa Arrizabalaga; Cesar Azpilicueta, Antonio Rudiger, Malang Sarr; Callum Hudson-Odoi, Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic, Marcos Alonso; Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic; Kai Havertz

EFL Cup Tottenham Hotspur vs Chelsea: Spurs team news

Antonio Conte has worked his playing 11 too much in the Christmas period. Therefore, he will have to make some rotations here. Japhet Tanganga and Harry Winks are very likely to start.

Steven Bergwijn, Cristian Romero, and Ryan Sessegnon are all out, and Conte has no new injury concerns following Watford’s victory. Moreover, Bryan Gill and Dele Alli will give Conte some options from the bench as Harry Kane will again lead the attack against Chelsea.

Tottenham possible starting lineup

Hugo Lloris; Japhet Tanganga, Davinso Sanchez, Ben Davies; Emerson, Harry Winks, Pierre Hojbjerg, Sergio Reguilon; Heung Min Son, Harry Kane, Bryan Gil

Our Predictions

Chelsea 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur

Both teams have players who have played a lot and fatigue can be a major part of this game. However, Conte’s Spurs seem to have found a rhythm to their play. Whereas, Chelsea is struggling to find it. Nevertheless, this game can be left to play in the second leg and the winner might be decided then.

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