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Tottenham - Match Preview


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The last of the international break this is over and it is back to Premier League action this weekend as league leaders Chelsea prepare to host Champions League chasing Tottenham at Stamford Bridge on Saturday in a crucial game for both sides that is set to kick off at 5.30pm UK time.

Team Form
Chelsea
Chelsea are strong favorites going into the game and that is of no surprise especially when the Blues have gone unbeaten in their last 13 league matches - W10 D3. If that record is anything to go by along with the quality in the team, Jose Mourinho's men would ought to record another league win under their belt.

Should Chelsea get the win, they would have the chance to further extend their gap on both Arsenal and Liverpool as well as Manchester City to 7 points and 9 respectively and heap the pressure on them before they return to Premier League action next weekend due to their involvement in the FA Cup this weekend (in Liverpool's case, their opponent Sunderland face Hull this Sunday).

Mourinho's side ongoing issues with the strikers are well documented and discussed but Andre Schurrle helped to calm it a little after he grabbed the headline last weekend with a clinical hat-trick in Chelsea's 3-1 win against Fulham at Craven Cottage and he would hope to keep the record going when Tottenham visit on Saturday.

Tottenham
For many, the Top 4 is pretty much done and dusted with Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool set to finish in them. The only question that lingers is in which order would the aforementioned clubs finish in. Spurs, however, are out to prove the doubters wrong and they have an opportunity to do so in 3 of their next 4 league fixtures as they face Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool in quick succession.

Tottenham have reasons to be optimistic in their chances to finish in the Top 4 as they have picked up 26 points from 12 league games under Tim Sherwood (W8 D2 L2) which is only a point less than the side gained under Andre Villas-Boas in the first 16 league matches this season before he was sacked last December (W8 D3 L5). Crucial in the revival of the North London side has been the enigmatic Emmanuel Adebayor brought back into the equation by Sherwood and he has scored 11 goals and assisted 3 in 15 matches in all competition under the Englishman and the striker would look to continue is fine form on Saturday, especially when he has netted 3 goals in his last 4 appearances against Chelsea.

Spurs main problem this season has been their lack of end product when they have possession - unable to create clear cut chances consistently and shooting from distance instead - but have looked potent on the counter attack with their pace and power and that is something Mourinho's men would have to be wary off as Spurs would most likely look to play on the break on Saturday to get a result.

Team News
Chelsea
Mourinho have a few selection problems ahead of this game after he claimed some players have some problems after returning from international duty this midweek. Ashley Cole will be out for 8-10 days after he picked up a lateral ligament injury in training yesterday while David Luiz has some persistent niggling injury issues which could keep him out of the game. On the positive side, Eden Hazard is fine and should be selected after he picked up a swollen ankle injury with Belgium in a friendly against ivory Coast on Wednesday.

Probable Lineup: Cech/Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpi/Matic, Ramires/Hazard, Willian, Oscar/Eto'o.

Tottenham
Picking a Spurs starting XI will be challenging as they are struggling with numerous injuries. There is a huge question mark over who will play at left back as Danny Rose has been ruled out with injury and remains to be seen if Zeki Fryers is available. On the opposite full back position, both Kyle Walker and Younes Kaboul are both doubtful to feature in this game and the same applies to their Danish star player Christian Eriksen while Erik Lamela, Vlad Chiriches and Etienne Capoue are all definitely out.

Probable Lineup: Lloris/Walker, Dawson, Vertonghen, Naughton/ Paulinho, Sandro, Dembele/ Townsend or Soldado, Adebayor, Lennon or Soldado (formation would differ according to selection of players; could be 4-3-3 or 4-4-2)

Match Stats
- Chelsea have picked up the most points on home soil in the Barclays Premier League (38) this season.
- No team have earned more points away from home in the Barclays Premier League than Tottenham (29).
- Chelsea have scored first in their last five matches (above courtesy of FourFourTwo)
- Chelsea have won the most games (19) and lost the least games (3) in the league this season.
- Tottenham have failed to win at Stamford Bridge in the league since the Premier League was formed; although they have drawn on their last two trips.
- Emmanuel Adebayor has scored seven goals in his last six Premier League appearances away from home.
- Chelsea have lost none of the last seven Premier League meetings against Spurs, winning two and drawing five.
- In those seven games, Spurs have been ahead in five matches, but gone on to win none.
- Gylfi Sigurdsson has scored in his last two PL appearances against Chelsea.
- Before Tottenham’s defeat to Norwich a fortnight ago, they had gone 7 games without defeat. (courtesy of EPL index)
- Not since Gary Lineker's late winner in 1990 have Spurs won at the home of their London rivals, a period during which 15 different managers have failed to do so. (courtesy of SportsMole)

TV and Internet Coverage
Australia - Fox Sports 3 Australia, TalkSport Radio, FOX Sports EPL On Demand
Belgium - Sporting 1, Be Sport 1
Brazil – Watch ESPN
India - Star Sports 4 India, Star Sports HD 2 India
Middle East/Arab World- BeIn Sport
United Kingdom: Sky Sports 1/HD, TalkSport Radio, Sky Sports 3D
United States - NBC Sports Live Extra, Mun2, TalkSport Radio, NBCSN, SiriusXM FC
International - Chelsea TV (Audio commentary)

For additional countries, click here.

There should be many match streams that can be found online if your local sports channels are not broadcasting the game or if you happen to be busy and cannot catch the game live, follow TalkChelsea on Twitter as it would provide live match commentary on the action.

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