The Blues’s month of London derbies resumes on Saturday when Chelsea welcome Tottenham Hotspur down from North London to Stamford Bridge.
This is the most exciting game on the schedule in the English Premier League fixtureof this weekend.
Spurs with 53 points from 28 games enter this match in fifth place, four points behind Manchester City at 57 points.
Tottenham manager Tim Sherwood is faced with a tough challenge of parading a side that can finally brings an end to Jose Mourinho’s unbeaten home streak as Blues manager.
Although still just barely hanging in the race for the Premier League title, Spurs just don’t match up with the four clubs above them as their (+4) goal differential reveals.
But Tottenham have been surprisingly strong away from White Hart Lane this season, winning nine games, drawing two and losing three. They have also scored21 goals and conceded 15.
A look at Tottenham’s schedule reveals a very fortuitous April and May ahead but lying in the way this month are a pair of Europa League third-round matches with Portuguese Liga side Benfica as well as league dates with third-place Arsenal on March 16 and against second-place Liverpool at Anfield on March 30.
Tottenham is coming off a 1-0 home win over Cardiff City on Sunday where Roberto Soldado scored the game’s only goal and his first in nine games for Spurs in a match typical of the clubs’ season—solid defense and little, sputtering offense.
First-place Chelsea, 63 points on top of the table and fairly strong as they head into this derby coming off of a derby win on Saturday over Premier League bottom-dwellers Fulham (3-1) at Craven Cottage in which Andre Schurrle had a hat-trick and the visitors earned the three points.
Mourinho seems to be sticking with a 4-2-3-1 formation and a starting XI for the Blues with Petr Cech, Cesar Azpilicueta, Gary Cahill, John Terry and Branislav Ivanovic in the back. This combination has allowed the least goals (22) in the Premier League.
Tottenham, manager Sherwood may employ a 4-2-2 tactical formation against Chelsea with Emmanuel Adebayor (eight goals) and Soldado (six goals) spearing up in the attack. In attacking midfield Spurs may go with the likes of Paulinho (four goals), Aaron Lennon and Mousa Dembele or Andros Townsend.
One valuable Spurs midfielder who may likely end up featuring here is Christian Eriksen who was ruled ineligible to play for his native Denmark in a midweek friendly against England.
So, in a game of such magnitude, Tottenham manager Sherwood may unleash the talented 22-year-old Eriksen who hasn’t played in a Premier League game since Everton on Feb. 9 on Saturday against the Europa League champion Chelsea in what may be Spurs last chance of thrusting themselves back into the race for a Champions League qualifying spot.
Tottenham right-back Kyle Walker is also nursing a hip injury and was out for Wednesday’s Denmark international friendly against England. His starting for this showdown with the Blues also remains to be seen, although one can expect all hands on deck for the visitors for this extremely pivotal fixture.
When these two clubs met earlier this season at White Hart Lane in September, it ended in a 1-1 tie thanks to a second-half goal by Terry, after Gylfi Sigurosson gave the home side an early lead.
One big difference this time around for the Blues will be the presence of defensive midfielder Nemanja Matic who, along with fellow bulldogs Terry and Cahill, will be focusing on keeping Togoless born Adebayor and Soldado and the Spurs attack in check.
Although Schurrle is coming off a hat-trick, The ‘Special One’ may choose to start Eden Hazard, Willian and either Oscar or Ramires in the attacking midfield in front of Matic, and possibly Frank Lampard with Samuel Eto’o likely getting the start at the striker spot, as he juggles his roster with Champions League play in mind.
The combination of expecting to win at home for Mourinho with the most airtight defense in the league and an offense slowly finding its rtythm can get results from players like Schurrle and Willian, and this should be a bit too much for Tottenham which will be hard-pressed to score two goals the way its offense has been playing in 2014. Hazard and Eto’o alone should combine for two here goals for the Blues.
Next up for Chelsea is a Premier League date with Aston Villa at Villa Park on March 15, followed just three days later by the return leg of its UEFA Champions League round of 16 series with Galatasaray and Didier Drogba at Stamford Bridge on March 18.
The final two Saturday London derbies on the Blues schedule this month are against fourth-place Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on March 22 and Crystal Palace on March 29.
Mourinho, known for setting and keeping records will do everything to keep Chelsea unbeaten home record intact.
Sounds like Chelsea should carry the day, or who knows? Maybe Saturday is Spurs big awakening and lucky day.
By: Anthony Nlebem
