Tottenham v Chelsea

High score draw on the cards at White Hart Lane

Barclays Premier League:
Tottenham v Chelsea, Thursday 22nd December 2011 20:00

Author: Thomas Rooney 19/12/2011

Premier League football fans are handed a Christmas cracker this week as top four occupants Tottenham and Chelsea meet at White Hart Lane.

As things stand, there are only two points separating these two teams in the Premier League table and although Spurs have lead the way at the moment – they have a game in hand too – this is a significant fixture in the race for a Champions League place.

A top four finish is more difficult than ever before to achieve of course. There were times when it was a case of which order Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool would finish in, but not anymore.

Of course the arrival of Manchester City into the title race has played its part, but so has Tottenham’s progress under Harry Redknapp. They are now widely accepted as one of the league’s big boys and capable of beating anyone on their day.

There has been talk of a title challenge this year and although this may have subsided slightly after the recent defeat to Stoke City, Harry Redknapp will still expect his team to be in touch with the top two come the turn of the year.

If this is to be the case, three points against Chelsea would be a massive boost. If Spurs follow up the hard fought win over Sunderland with three points on Thursday evening, they would move five points clear of the Blues with a game in hand. This would be a great Christmas present for Redknapp and co.

Chelsea will have something to say about this though, using the disappointment of the 1-1 draw with Wigan as added motivation. This result at the DW Stadium was an unexpected blip for a team that appeared to be back near their best.

It has to be said that defeat at Tottenham would then have the vultures surrounding Andre Villas-Boas once again. The Chelsea boss has enjoyed the improved run of form and it will be interesting to see his reaction if asked about another run of poor results.

They will go into the game with plenty of belief though. They have players who have been there and done it many times in the Premier League. It also seems certain that they will go to White Hart Lane with one intention and one intention only – scoring more goals than Tottenham.

This may sound obvious, but it seems unlikely that Chelsea will sit back and let Tottenham at them. Given Spurs’ threat in attack, they simply cannot afford to do this, even if Gareth Bale is a doubt for the home side.

Overall, this has all the makings of a classic Premier League encounter. Both teams have goals in them and a high-scoring draw appears to be the way to go in terms of a prediction.

Match bet: Draw @ 23/10 with Bet365 - (Ł200 free bets)

Correct score prediction: Tottenham 3:3 Chelsea @ 65 with Betfair