Chelsea at Tottenham Carabao Cup Semi-final Leg 1

After both Chelsea FC and Tottenham Hotspur advanced in the FA Cup over the weekend, the two sides continue their fixture congestion as they meet in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final at Wembley on Tuesday.

Being a club who competes for European places in England comes with consequences. When Tottenham Hotspur host Chelsea FC in Semi-final Leg 1 of the League Carabao Cup it will already be both clubs’ third game of the new year and the 12th game for both clubs since the start of December. By contrast, the current bottom club in the Premier League- Fulham FC- have played 9 games.

However, this game isn’t about being tired and is not your normal London Derby. This game is the first half of a Cup final and playing for some silverware. This game is one teams play all those other games for, this game represents an opportunity at glory. For the third time in five official ties within the League Cup, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea FC are meeting in the League Cup Semi-finals.

How Tottenham and Chelsea Got to the Semis

Both Tottenham and Chelsea entered this year’s Carabao Cup in the third round based on European commitments and each have won three games to get here, so what went down?

Chelsea had a tough draw with Liverpool in the 3rd round. Liverpool has been excellent this season, but goals from Emerson and Hazard along with a strong defensive showing were enough to help the Blues advance 1-2 in Merseyside. After the tough opening draw, Chelsea faced Derby County in the 4th round. It was two own-goals and a late Fabregas effort that pushed Chelsea through 3-2. Then Hazard again powered Chelsea as Blues won 1-0 over Bournemouth in the quarterfinals.

Tottenham didn’t draw Liverpool but have faced a Premier League side in all three rounds of the competition. Spurs overcame Watford 4-2 on penalties in round 3. This victory came on the back of the Hornets’ surprise come-back win in League only a week prior. In round 4 Tottenham beat West Ham 1-3 at Olympic Stadium. This game too was revenge for Spurs, having been knocked out of the same competition by the Hammers last year. Finally, Tottenham went into Emirates in mid-December and paid the Gunners back 0-2 for their 4-2 defeat in League previously in the month.

Previous League Cup Match-ups

Tottenham and Chelsea have played 8 previous games representing five ties in League Cup play. On two previous occasions these sides have met in the semi-finals, with Chelsea winning in 1971/72 and Tottenham winning in 2001/02. Likewise, the sides have met twice in the Finals, with Chelsea winning over Spurs in Mauricio Pochettino’s first season of 2014/15.

Tottenham’s last trophy came in the 2007/08 2-1 victory over Chelsea. The other meeting was a 1990/91 quarterfinal tussle. The last League Cup affair was that 14/15 final, where John Terry scored just before halftime and a Kyle Walker own-goal shortly into the second half ended Spurs’ hopes.

Chelsea and Tottenham on Form

As two of the top four current clubs in the Premier League, both Chelsea and Tottenham have been in solid form over the festive fixtures. Chelsea has won seven, lost two and drawn two in their 11 games since December 2. Similarly, Spurs have won eight, lost two, and drawn one over that same stretch. In general, these are two clubs playing some good football, the big differences have been seen in the score lines.

Since the start of December, Tottenham has been on a tear scoring 33 goals in those 11 games, with 22 of those 33 coming in the last five. Alternatively, Chelsea has scored 13 goals in their last 11 games, with five of them in the last five games. In some respects, this may be an advantage for Chelsea as they have only been in three games in this span that were NOT 1-goal games.

In other words, Chelsea have been playing a lot of close matches and are ready for the grind of a two-legged semi-final. On the other hand, Tottenham have already had their backs against the wall in Champions League this season and fought through it to rebound from two difficult losses during this stretch. Any way we look at this, we have two teams that are prepared to grind for the victory.

What to Expect?

Spurs are coming in with a lot of players on form, with both Son and Kane scoring at an impressive rate of late. Add in Christian Eriksen’s improving form and this is a Spurs team ready to take it to the Blues. Tottenham are still short in the midfield due to injuries but should see Harry Winks back after a rest and could get a boost from the return of Erik Lamela from injury and illness.

Blues have relatively few injuries at this point, although Pedro and Willan are questionable for the match. Expect a stout defensive set-up and a team ready to pounce on the counter with Hazard looking for the ball in the middle of the park. If both Pedro and Willan are out, this limits the options around Hazard, both from the start, and late in the game as an impact substitute. Following his FA Cup brace over the weekend, Alvaro Morata even has a chance to make an impact in this game.

Prediction

Aaron Coe

Spurs 3-1

Much like the previous match-up between the clubs, Spurs are going to come out hungry and aggressive. The aggressiveness gives opportunities to the Blues, which Hazard capitalizes on. Regardless, Spurs put on an offensive clinic and head into the second leg with a strong advantage following a 3-1 victory with goals coming from Dele and Son.

Zaph Hutson

Spurs 2-1

You have a Hazard. We have a Sissoko… and a Kane and a Son and an Eriksen and an Alli. Needless to say, Chelsea’s few offensive weapons will be stifled by Tottenham and the red-hot Spurs attack will score at least twice.