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Tottenham will look to rubberstamp their credentials as genuine title contenders when they go up against fellow league hopefuls at White Hart Lane on Thursday.
Spurs magnificent 11 game unbeaten run in the Premier League was bought to an abrupt end with a controversial 2-1 defeat at Stoke two weeks ago but the 1-0 win over Sunderland helped move Harry Redknapp’s men back up to third in the table as Chelsea dropped points against lowly Wigan the day before.
Now Harry Redknapp’s side will look to secure a top three spot going into what could be a very special 2012 indeed with a win over 4th place Chelsea.
The Blues meanwhile looked to be getting back to their former selves with a much-needed win over table-topping Manchester City two weeks ago which followed a victory over Valencia in the Champions League which secured them a place in the Champions League knockout stages.
However all that good progress appeared to have counted for little as they put in an insipid performance against Wigan and could barely claim they deserved anything more than the point they got.
Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas will be glad that Spurs will be shorn of some of their most potent attacking weapons that could inflict damage upon his side.
Gareth Bale is rated as highly doubtful as he continues to struggle with a knock picked up in training. The Welshman missed the 1-0 over Sunderland and Redknapp has already admitted he is rated as 50/50 for the game.
Aaron Lennon is definitely out of the game having suffered a hamstring injury against the Black Cats on Sunday, with the England international expected to be missing until the new year.
Ledley King is also struggling to shake off a knock while Jermain Defoe is a doubt as well, meaning Redknapp will have to some serious shuffling off his pack to fill the gaps left behind some of his best players.
For Chelsea, John Terry has shaken off an Achilles problem and is fit to play at White Hart Lane, although whether he will feature or not remains to be seen after it was revealed the England captain will face charges from the Crown Prosecution Service after allegations he had racially abused QPR’s Anton Ferdinand.
In an interesting sub plot for the game Luka Modric will start at the heart of Tottenham’s midfield having came close to lining up for the west London outfit after revealing his desire to switch to Chelsea after they bid £40 million for the Croatian over the summer.
Match Winner
In what is expected to be the game of the season so far, the outright winner market reflects that close nature of both these sides.
It is Chelsea that trail behinid in the betting, with the Blues being placed at 2.75 (7/4) with Paddy Power, while Tottenham are slightly ahead at 2.60 (8/5) with BetFred.
The draw is placed at 3.50 (5/2) with VC Bet.
First Goalscorer
While injury has robbed Tottenham of some of their key attacking threats their players still fill the first goalscorer market, although they don’t have it all their own way with some Chelsea heavyweights thrown into the mix.
Emmanuel Adebayor and Didier Drogba lead the way, with both men placed at 7.50 (13/2) with Paddy Power.
The same bookmaker is also offering odds of 8.50 (15/2) on Fernando Torres, Jermain Defoe and Rafael Van Der Vaart opeing the scoring, although with the place of the first two in the starting 11 in doubt, backing the in-form Dutchman may be wise.
Recommended Bets
First Goalscorer: Rafael Van Der Vaart, 8.50 (15/2) Paddy Power
Correct Score: 2-1 Tottenham, 11.00 (10/1) BetFred
