Tottenham Hotspurs are set to host Chelsea in their 5th Premier League game of this season which will also be the first net zero carbon match. Spurs have had a topsy turvy start to their new campaigns since they started off strong with a win against Manchester City and they followed that with 2 more wins against Wolves and Watford respectively. The club stood first in the table but after the international break, nothing has going right for the London-based club.
🌎 Full details on your green travel options for Sunday’s net zero carbon match against Chelsea are now available! 👇
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) September 15, 2021
They lost 3-0 against Crystal Palace away from home and even have a player suspended. The Palace game was a disaster for them all around the pitch since they got dominated in terms of possession and only had 2 attempts on goal. To make things worse, Spurs drew 2-2 against Rennes in the UEFA Conference League and are desperate for a win.
Chelsea on the other hand have been flying high lately, as Nuno’s tactics at Tottenham have come into question. They are 2nd in the table only behind Manchester United on goal difference. They haven’t lost a single game till now and even came out with a win against Zenit in the Champions League.
TEAM NEWS
Spurs have a lot of absentees in their camp right now which is surely going to hurt them. Son has been arguably their best player so far this season but he hasn’t played for them in the last 2 games and will probably not start against Chelsea. Eric Dier is facing fitness issues as well. Steven Bergwijn and Lucas Moura were injured and had to come off in their game against Rennes and might not be featured in Sunday Night. Lastly, Tanganga received a red card against Crystal Palace and will be out of contention this time.
We’re ready. 👊
🛵 @getir_UK pic.twitter.com/uuXIjmAvTq
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) September 16, 2021
Tottenham Hotspurs Predicted Starting Lineup: Lloris; Emerson, Sanchez, Romero, Reguilon; Hojbjerg, Skipp; Lo Celso, Gil, Alli; Kane
Christian Pulisic hasn’t recovered from his ankle injury yet and Ngolo Kante might surprise us with an appearance off the bench. Reece James is back from his domestic suspension and the rest of the squad is fit and ready for some action.
Chelsea Predicted Starting Lineup: Mendy; Azpilicueta, Christensen, Rudiger; James, Jorginho, Kovacic, Alonso; Mount, Havertz; Lukaku
GAME CHANGERS
PIERRE-EMILE HOJBJERG
Hojbjerg is good enough to help this team despite its injury crisis since his influence in their mid-field makes him a match-winning player. He creates 1 goal-scoring chance per game at the very least and he might even feature on the scoreboard since he takes 0.75 shots on goal on an average per 90.
ROMELU LUKAKU
Lukaku has been at the top of his game lately after winning the Serie A with Inter Milan. Lukaku has perfectly fit in Tuchel’s game plan and has scored 3 goals in his 3 appearances. Lukaku currently has the Xg (expected goals) of 0.84 which means he is bound to score a goal per game. His strength and quality on the ball complement well with each other and helps him dominate in the final third.
PREDICTION
Spurs are riddled with injuries and suspensions at the moment and they haven’t been playing in their usual stride as well. The home side is about to challenge a formidable opponent and it doesn’t seem like they are up for it. FootTheBall predicts Tottenham 1-2 Chelsea.
