The lunchtime kick-off sees Chelsea and Tottenham square off in a battle for the Champions League places, while Manchester City will hope to return to the top of the table with a win at Stoke City in the evening game.

Chelsea v Tottenham

There will be more than just local pride to play for in this London derby at Stamford Bridge.

Fifth-placed Chelsea will be looking to pile the misery on out-of-form Tottenham and close the gap between the two clubs to just two points.

The Blues have enjoyed a resurgence in form under caretaker boss Roberto Di Matteo, winning four games on the bounce before succumbing to Samir Nasri’s late goal against Manchester City in midweek.

Tottenham meanwhile are suffering an alarming dip in form. After being considered as an outside bet for the title a few weeks ago, the White Hart Lane club won just two of their last nine Premier League games and have taken just one point from the last 12 available to place their spot in the top four at real risk.

Some suspect that speculation linking Harry Redknapp with the England job has had a negative effect on the team’s results, something Redknapp vehemently denies.

The statistics are also heavily against Spurs as they head to west London. For starters they have not won there since 1990, with Chelsea winning 16 of their last 24 matches against Spurs at Stamford Bridge in all competitions.

Boss Redknapp has lost his last eight visits to the Bridge as a Premier League boss, with the also Blues losing just one of their last eight home league games.

It is unsurprising then that I recommend you consider the Chelsea win, currently priced at 10/11.

With Tottenham fashioning just six shots on target across their past four games at the Bridge a Chelsea win to nil is also my tip, with a 2-0 win my prediction priced at 15/2.

Stoke v Manchester City

Manchester City’s dramatic victory over in-form Chelsea on Wednesday appeared to give them fresh impetus in a title race that looked to be slipping from their grasp.

But can they carry on where they left off at the Etihad and return to the summit with a win at Stoke?

With bitter rivals Manchester United – still 8/15 favourites to win the Premier League – not playing until Monday, Roberto Mancini’s men have the chance to strike a psychological blow in an increasingly frantic title race by leapfrogging the Red Devils in the table with a win on Saturday teatime.

However, a trip to the Britannia Stadium to face rough and ready Stoke means a return to the top is far from a foregone conclusion – even if Totesport has a Stoke win priced at a generous 5/1.

A trip to face the Potters is regularly seen as the litmus test of a side’s true talents – ‘the can-they-do-it-on-a-wet-Tuesday-at-the-Britannia’ theory.

If they are to pick up the points on Saturday though City will need to rapidly improve their away form. Mancini’s men have won just twice in the league away from Eastlands since November, losing key games at Sunderland, Everton and Swansea since the turn of the year.

So why the long odds on a Stoke victory?

Well, the Potters, despite always being a tough side to play on their own turf, have been dogged with inconsistencies of their own as boss Tony Pulis struggles to cope with the extra demands of European football.

Defeat in the Europa League last month at the hands of Spanish giants Valencia formed part of an alarming run of six defeats from eight games that saw the club spin towards the bottom half of the table.

Successive home wins over Norwich and Swansea steadied the ship but defeats at Chelsea and Liverpool – the latter in the FA Cup quarter-final – put Stoke on the back foot once more.

A battling point away at Tottenham on Wednesday highlighted the spirit found within the squad at the Britannia, but the truth is their erratic results mean it is hard to count on the Potters when they take to the field on Saturday evening.

Many feel the Chelsea result was a seminal moment on the title race – with Totesport cutting City’s odds of Premier League glory to 6/4 on the back of the victory.

But it was not just in the manner of the win that could prove significant, the introduction of the once wantaway Carlos Tevez could also be the ace card that swings the title race back in City’s favour.

The Argentine made his first appearance since September on Wednesday and immediately made his presence felt with a lovely lay-off for Nasri’s winner. Despite being likely to start from the bench again on Saturday, his odds of 9/2 to score first – or last – are well worth considering.

City’s nerves are beginning to show, so I don’t expect this to be the expansive, goal-laden outfit that we saw throughout the autumn, but they also know that these are the games they simply have to win if they are to finish the year top dogs.

To that end I expect it to be tight and tense, with the draw HT/Manchester City FT worth backing at 3/1.

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