Tom Hill’s selections for Chelsea’s trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium include a draw, with goals expected at both ends.
Premier League fans can look forward to a London derby on Sunday, with Tottenham and Chelsea fighting for bragging rights in their first meeting since May.
Chelsea won both meetings between the two clubs last season, but Spurs have already beaten Manchester City twice this season and will fancy their chances in front of their own fans.
Tottenham v Chelsea tips
Draw and both teams to score
16/5
Over 3.5 goals
17/20
Cole Palmer to score or assist
4/7
Winter schedule should play its part
After a stop-start beginning to the Premier League campaign, teams are now preparing for the wild festive period.
Both Spurs and Chelsea are still playing in Europe, meaning their schedules are jam-packed until the end of the year.
Chelsea have another seven games left to play in December, and manager Enzo Maresca tried to plan for that by making several changes for Wednesday’s 5-1 success over Southampton.
Tottenham have been hard to beat of late, picking up an impressive 4-0 win over Manchester City before securing a 2-2 draw against Roma in the Europa League.
While they failed to live up to expectations against Ipswich last month, only the Tractor Boys and Arsenal have managed to beat Ange Postecoglou’s team on the road.
Chelsea are unbeaten in seven games, and while they have improved, Sunday’s encounter is still one of the toughest assignments of the season, and both teams will settle for a share of the spoils.
Lively affair expected in the capital
While Liverpool sit top of the pile, it is Chelsea that have scored the most goals with 31.
Maresca’s men have spread the goals around the team, and he will have been delighted to see so many players contribute in midweek, especially when he made several changes.
Tottenham are the Premier League’s fourth-highest goalscorers with 28, so the signs suggest this could be a thrilling battle.
More importantly, neither side have shown they can keep things tight at the back. Chelsea and Spurs have only collected three clean sheets, so another high-scoring battle should be on the cards.
Palmer to maintain recent form
Only Mohamed Salah and Erling Haaland have more goals than Cole Palmer this season, with the England international netting nine times in 14 appearances.
The England international also has six assists to his name this season and he has scored in his last two outings for Chelsea, netting against Aston Villa and Southampton.
Maresca has built his midfield and attack around Palmer, and he has the skills needed to unlock the Spurs defence, which is often wide open due to Postecoglou’s adventurous tactics.
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