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Tottenham strolled their way into the FA Cup 4th Round with a 7-0 demolition of Tranmere on Friday, but this week they face a much more difficult prospect. Not only do they face Chelsea in the Carabao Cup semi-final here, but a hosting of the in form Manchester United awaits them on Sunday.
This could potentially lead to a rotated squad being fielded in midweek, with the likes of Son Heung-min and Dele Alli expected to miss out after starting in that game against Tranmere. The fact that this comes after a congested period of fixtures will play a part in Mauricio Pocchettino’s squad selection too.
Of course, Chelsea have also endured this gruelling run of fixtures. However, they have a less daunting home match against Newcastle to come at the weekend and Maurizio Sarri opted to rest the majority of his first team players in their own 2-0 win against Nottingham Forest at the weekend.
The result of Tuesday’s clash depends heavily on both manager’s team selection, but one thing we can expect is some goals. Tottenham have scored in all but 1 of their competitive home games this season and scored 25 goals in 13 games, only failing to find the net against Manchester City. However, they have conceded in 10 of these matches and have shipped a total of 16 goals at Wembley.
Chelsea, meanwhile, have scored in all but 1 of their 14 away days in all competitions, but have conceded in 7 of them. The 6 domestic clean sheets this season have come against teams in the bottom half of the Premier League table as well, and the fact they shipped 3 away to Spurs earlier this season shows how they struggle to keep better quality opposition at bay.
All this points towards Both Teams to Score being a great value bet on Tuesday, so that’s what we’re backing along with a tight 1-1 draw for our correct score predictions.
Both sides are in great form and picked good wins over weaker opponents in the FA Cup ahead of this clash. Chelsea were 2 – 0 winners over Nottingham Forest while Tottenham decimated Tranmere Rovers 7 – 0 and they will both be seeking the first leg advantage in this clash. Spurs head to the game on the back of a really fine run; they are not only title contenders in the Premier League, they have lost just two matches in their last 17 outings, winning 14. They have scored three goals or more in four of their last five matches and have six clean sheets in their last 10 matches while each of their last five matches has yielded over 2.5 goals. Compared to Chelsea, they have had a tougher run to this staged – their last three opponents have been Premier League sides. Spurs saw off Arsenal in the quarters, having earlier beaten West Ham United and Watford. Chelsea will not be easy opponents, heading to this clash on three straight clean sheets even though they have not been scoring a lot of goals in the recent matches. While Spurs have 21 goals in their last five matches, Chelsea have scored five and both sides have conceded three goals in their last five outings. Playing at home, Spurs have picked six wins and a loss in the last seven while Chelsea, away from home, have a four – game unbeaten run and just two losses in 14 this season. In the league meeting between the two sides, Spurs picked a 3 – 1 win over Chelsea at Wembley, making it two straight wins over the Blues and they will be keen on making it three. In the last five meetings, Spurs have won three and Chelsea two.