Chelsea are heavy favourites to beat Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday evening in week eight of the Premier League. Xabi Alonso’s side are priced between 1.61 and 1.77 for the win across a range of operators, with the draw around 4.12 to 4.30, and a Spurs victory between 3.80 and 4.75.
The odds reflect a seven-point gap in the Premier League table, with the Blues fourth on 13 points and the Lilywhites 16th on six. Chelsea have also won two consecutive league games, scoring seven goals and only letting in one goal in their last two.
The Blues have netted 17 league goals from just 11.92 expected, suggesting their finishing has been hot. Tottenham have the opposite issue, scoring only three times from 7.85 expected in their first six games. Spurs also showed their limitations in Monday’s 3-1 win against Coventry City, despite finally getting off the mark for the season. They had 65% possession but only created 0.87 expected goals to the newly promoted side’s 0.82.
Both teams to score looks a sensible option, with Chelsea only managing a single clean sheet in their last seven league games. Tottenham will be without suspended Rodrigo Bentancur and injured Lucas Bergvall, but the return of James Maddison should provide a creative spark which was sorely missing early in the season. Joao Pedro, who has five league goals, is priced around 5.20 to open the scoring, and Morgan Rogers is another to consider, having scored four and assisted two in his seven career meetings with Spurs.
The goalkeeping change is the main wild card for anyone looking to back the hosts on Saturday. Mike Penders will make his first Premier League start in place of the injured Emiliano Martinez, and Spurs may look to press the 21-year-old.
Prediction: Chelsea 2-1 Tottenham, with both teams finding the net at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea Vs Tottenham Head-To-Head Record
The history books are also firmly in the favour of the home side ahead of this weekend’s clash. Chelsea have won the last six Premier League meetings, including a 2-1 win at the Bridge in May which saw Tottenham’s relegation battle run to the wire.
In fact, Spurs’ record in West London is even more damning for their fans. They have won just once in 34 Premier League visits to Stamford Bridge, with the Blues’ home record in the fixture 22 wins and 11 draws.
That solitary success came in April 2018 when they came out 3-1 victors at the Bridge. Overall, since the first competitive meeting in December 1909, Chelsea have won 83 games between the two sides, to Tottenham’s 55. Spurs did come out 2-1 victors over the Blues during the Sydney Super Cup in pre-season, but that is of little value ahead of Saturday’s encounter.