Tottenham Hotspur vs Chelsea: Match Preview, Prediction, Venue & Where to Watch Details | Carabao Cup 2018-19
Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea go toe-to-toe in a thrilling Carabao Cup semi-final encounter, with the first leg to be played at the Wembley Stadium. While Maurizio Sarri enters the game in quest of his first major trophy, Spurs, who are scoring goals for fun at the moment, are vying for their first piece of silverware since 2008.
Chelsea's gaffer has lost just four times since taking charge of the West Londoners, but twice at Wembley - once to Spurs and the other at the hands of Manchester City in the Community Shield.
The Lilywhites have won on two consecutive occasions against the Blues now, but they haven't made it three in a row since September 1963.
Here's all you need to know ahead of the game.
Tottenham vs Chelsea: Kickoff information
Date: 8 January 2019
Time: 20:00 local time, 01:30 IST (9th January)
Venue: Wembley Stadium
Livestream: Live stream on JioTV
Tottenham vs Chelsea: Team news
Tottenham
Paulo Gazzaniga should keep goal as he has been doing in the cup fixtures, regardless of the size of the opponent.
Lucas Moura picked up a knee injury against Tranmere in the FA Cup, becoming the latest addition to the treatment room. Elsewhere, Eric Dier, Victor Wanyama, Mousa Dembele and Jan Vertonghen are sidelined.
Chelsea
Pedro, Willian and Olivier Giroud are expected to be back from respective injuries, but it will be interesting to see which of them go into the playing XI.
Mateo Kovacic should start having recovered from illness, while Cesc Fabregas is reportedly in France ahead of his move to AS Monaco. Ruben Loftus-Cheek's back issues have halted his progress, once again, and he is set to remain out of contention.
Tottenham vs Chelsea: Probable line-ups
Tottenham (4-2-3-1): Gazzaniga; Trippier, Sanchez, Alderweireld, Davies; Sissoko, Winks; Eriksen, Alli, Son; Kane
Chelsea (4-3-3): Arrizabalaga; Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Luiz, Alonso; Kante, Jorginho, Kovacic; Pedro, Morata, Hazard
Tottenham vs Chelsea: Form guide
Last 5 matches (in all competitions)
Tottenham: W-W-L-W-W
Chelsea: W-D-W-W-L
Tottenham vs Chelsea: Head-to-head
Tottenham wins: 53
Chelsea wins: 68
Draws: 40
Tottenham vs Chelsea: Key players
Tottenham
Bamidele Alli has netted more goals against Chelsea than he has against any other opposition in his senior career thus far. While his work rate and positioning are just fine, the daunting runs into the six-yard area are what make him the player he is - especially against this Chelsea back line.
Chelsea
Along with the defensive frailties that were exposed against Spurs last time out, Jorginho's inability to free up space and pick passes at will was another huge cause for concern. This time around, the Italy international will have to be sharper with his tackling and a little bit more smarter on the ball.
If he dictates the pace of play and controls its flow, we could see the Blues bossing possession and playing their natural game.
Tottenham vs Chelsea: Prediction
At the moment, there are difficulties for the visitors in the final third and on the contrary, Pochettino's side are in exquisite form. Spurs should edge through to salvage a victory.
Predicted score: Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Chelsea