It’s highly likely that tomorrow’s London derby, when Chelsea visits Tottenham Hotspur, will be low scoring. The goalless draw these two played in the reverse fixture, this past November, saw Chelsea’s three match winning streak against Spurs in the Premier League come to an end.
Tottenham have failed to score in three of their last four league meetings with Spurs, so they’ll need a major course correction if they’re going to get a result here.
Chelsea FC at Tottenham Hotspur FYI
Kickoff: Thursday, Feb. 4, 8 pm GMT, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Tottenham Starting XI Prediction, Additional Team News: go here
Chelsea Team News: go here
TV (USA): None, Stream: Peacock
Odds: Tottenham +245 Draw +235 Chelsea +115
Series History (across all competitions): Tottenham 55, Draw 41, Chelsea 72
Premier League Form Guide: Tottenham LLWDW Chelsea WDLWL
Given that he was rested over the weekend, we believe Hakim Ziyech will get a first team nod here. We’re also predicting Thomas Tuchel will select two (Timo Werner, Antonio Rudiger) of his three fellow countrymen in the starting lineup. Kai Havertz is the lone German who will have to settle for a substitute role.
We also foresee Tuchel selecting the two players on the squad that he’s previously coached- Christian Pulisic and Thiago Silva.
Chelsea Starting XI Prediction at Tottenham Hotspur
Mendy; Azpilicueta, Silva, Rudiger; Ziyech, Kovacic, Kante, Alonso; Pulisic, Werner; Giroud
Prediction: Chelsea 1, Tottenham 0
Watching Tottenham has been a bit of a slog lately, with their lack of an offensive spark truly something that holds one back from picking them to win this match. No wonder Jose Mourinho referred to his side as “a team with sadness.”
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and SB Nation. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.