The festive football action is in full swing and Thursday sees one of the biggest matches of the next few weeks, when Tottenham’s title credentials (16/1 Premier League Outright) will be tested with the visit of Chelsea for a London derby to relish at White Hart Lane.
Spurs are being talked about as genuine Premier League contenders this season after making impressive strides in recent weeks. They sit in third ahead of the Blues’ visit, seven points off leaders Manchester City but with a game in hand, and responded to a 2-1 defeat at Stoke with a narrow 1-0 win over Sunderland last time out.
Harry Redknapp has assembled a squad that, at the very least, seems capable of challenging the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal for a top-four finish while, on their day, they look every inch title contenders alongside City and United.
If they can pick up another three points on Thursday over Andre Villas-Boas’ men, then more people will take notice of what Redknapp is doing at the Lane. Players of the calibre of Luka Modric, Emmanuel Adebayor, Scott Parker and Gareth Bale – although he could miss Thursday’s game due to injury – are top-notch Premier League performers, who would walk into most other side’s starting line-ups. Add to that the impressive way youngster Kyle Walker has cemented his place at right-back, and you begin to see why they are enjoying a superb season.
However, they will not find it easy on Thursday. Chelsea threw away three points at Wigan last week when conceding a late equaliser after Darren Sturridge had put them in front, but the Blues are in much better shape than a few weeks ago with big wins over Valencia and City stopping the critics in their tracks after a recent difficult period.
In Sturridge they have one of the best young strikers out there at the moment, and such is his form and confidence that he is well worth backing in the anytime scorer market at 13/8. Didier Drogba has also rediscovered his best form in recent games and is the first scorer favourite for the visitors at 5/1.
Villas-Boas has split opinion at times this season with some saying his inexperience at this level has shown him up to be a coach whose man-management skills leave a lot to be desired, while he struggles with big egos. Frank Lampard has certainly questioned why he has often been overlooked this season, while £50million signing Fernando Torres rarely gets a look-in these days either.
But others say he is a canny, tactically-astute boss who proved he is one of the best young managers around in those recent impressive wins.
It’s set up for a mouthwatering London derby then. Both of these two like to dictate games and Spurs, at home, will look for an early goal to get them on their way but expect Chelsea to have a big say, too.
The away win, on offer at 7/4, looks a big price in this one and we envisage a narrow win for the Blues (1-2 at 11/1 in Correct Score market) to dent Spurs’ title hopes while, at the same time, doing their own a world of good (Chelsea 14/1 PL Outright).
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