Chelsea FC
Tottenham Hotspur FC
Tottenham Hotspur FC
Biggest fixture of the weekend as Lampard’s Chelsea take on table toppers Spurs
Chelsea to win 2-1
This one has all the makings of a top game of football.
Two sides in great form, scoring plenty of goals between them and racking up the points week after week. Add to that the ‘master vs. apprentice’ matchup of the two managers, with Mourinho the experienced winner and Lampard the young upstart aiming to take his place.
Tottenham put in a fantastic display by beating Manchester City last weekend, conceding most of the possession but hitting them on the counterattack with two magnificent goals.
The form of super-strikers Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min has not faltered, rather it has strengthened, and the rest of the team look like they know exactly what their manager wants from them.
Chelsea have also improved recently, scoring goals for fun almost, whilst tightening up at the back.
It’s the most appealing fixture of the weekend, and sure to be great entertainment.
Form Guide (all comps): WWWWW
Reasons to be cheerful:
Unbeaten in 10 matches in all competitions
Attacking form has coincided with defensive solidity
Reasons to be fearful:
Spurs know how to win even without controlling the match
Their great form has come against much lesser opposition
Such is the unpredictability of this league season, a win for Chelsea could send them to the top of the table, though a loss could see them plummet to 7th.
Their style of play should work in their favour in this match, however. They tend to score multiple goals in matches, something which Tottenham haven’t always done this season.
In Werner, Abraham, Giroud, Ziyech, Mount and others, Chelsea have a whole host of players who can contribute in front of goal. Christian Pulisic could also return leaving Lampard with a selection headache.
They are likely to come out front foot first, knowing that if they can get in front, Spurs will have to adopt a different strategy to sitting back and defending.
Star Man – Tammy Abraham
Scored in his last two league outings and is looking to make the ‘number 9’ position his own.
Form Guide (all comps): WWWWW
Reasons to be cheerful
Won their last four league matches
Wins against the likes of Man City will bring great confidence
Reasons to be fearful
Still haven’t beaten a side in the top four
Injury concerns including defender Alderweireld
Life is great for Tottenham fans right now.
Not only are they sitting on top of the Premier League, but their Europa League form is adding to their successes so far this season.
This will arguably prove to be their toughest test so far, of course. Manchester City are not quite the team of previous seasons and Spurs are yet to beat a team from the top four, with all of their wins coming against lesser opposition.
Having said that, Mourinho is transferring his winning mentality successfully to his players, who look like they know their jobs inside out on the pitch.
It will be interesting if Chelsea take the lead, meaning that Spurs will be forced to come out of their shell somewhat, rather than sitting back and countering as they did against City.
Either way, it should be a fascinating contest.
Star Man – Harry Kane
Arguably the most complete forward in world football at present – scoring and assisting whenever he plays
Spurs will set out similarly to their win over City
Chelsea to score first
An entertaining game settled by a single goal margin
Frank Lampard will be eager to get another one over his old mentor Jose Mourinho this weekend, especially as that could take them to the top of the table at Tottenham’s expense.
His expensively assembled squad is really starting to tick along nicely, with defence and attack both improving in recent weeks.
Mourinho will see no reason to change things from last weekend, allowing the opposition to have the lion’s share of possession before hitting on the counter.
Unfortunately for him, Chelsea are a far better team than Man City at the moment, and The Blues could come out on top.
Chelsea to win 2-1
