Chelsea vs Tottenham
EFL Cup semi-final second leg
Venue: Stamford Bridge
Date: Thursday, 24 January, 2019
Kick-off: 7:45pm GMT
Chelsea have the perfect opportunity to respond to Maurizio Sarri's extraordinary criticism of his squad as they face a must-win EFL Cup semi-final second leg against Tottenham.
Sarri accused his players of lacking the mentality needed to compete at the top level following Saturday's meek Premier League defeat at Arsenal - a result which has opened up the top four race.
But the Blues must now turn their attentions to cup football, where they are looking to overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit against Mauricio Pochettino's injury-plagued Tottenham.
Spurs face a crisis up front with Harry Kane and Dele Alli injured, Heung-min Son on international duty and Fernando Llorente out of sorts, but Pochettino's men showed fighting spirit to win 2-1 at Fulham on Sunday to tee themselves up for Thursday night's derby.
Chelsea team news and predicted line-ups
The Blues are hoping to have Gonzalo Higuain available as they close in on a loan deal for the striker, but he must be registered by 12pm on Wednesday to be eligible.
Higuain would likely lead the line should he be registered in time, with Eden Hazard and one of Pedro, Willian or Callum Hudson-Odoi playing off him.
The only real injury concern for Sarri is Ruben Loftus-Cheek who remains out with a back injury, while Mateo Kovacic could be dropped in favour of Ross Barkley.
Predicted XI (4-3-3): Kepa; Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Christensen, Alonso; Kante, Jorginho, Barkley; Willian, Higuain, Hazard
Tottenham team news and predicted line-ups
Pochettino is caught in the midst of an injury crisis, with Dele Alli likely to be unavailable after picking up a suspected hamstring problem against Fulham.
With Kane and Son both unavaialable and Llorente enduring a nightmare afternoon at the weekend, Pochettino could turn to Lucas Moura to lead the line - if the Brazilian is fit, of course.
Paulo Gazzaniga impressed enough in the first leg to hold onto his spot ahead of Hugo Lloris, while Eric Dier returned at Fulham and should start in midfield.
Predicted XI (3-4-3): Gazzaniga; Sanchez, Alderweireld, Vertonghen; Trippier, Winks, Dier, Davies; Eriksen, Lamela, Lucas
Score prediction: Chelsea 1-1 Tottenham
Despite Tottenham's injury crisis, Thursday's second leg should be another tight affair. Expect Chelsea to come racing out of the traps after Sarri's criticism, though Spurs cannot be written off despite missing a host of stars - as Harry Winks' late goal at Fulham showed.
Spurs may have just enough to get over the line, but will likely need to score at the Bridge to avoid extra-time or a potential penalty shootout.
Chelsea vs Tottenham tickets
To check ticket availability click here to head to Chelsea's website.
Betting tips via Betfair | UK users only | Subject to change
Match odds
- Chelsea to qualify: 4/5
- Tottenham to qualify: 5/6
First goalscorer odds
- Eden Hazard: 4/1
- Olivier Giroud: 9/2
- Lucas Moura: 12/1
- Fernando Llorente: 17/2
Click here to find the latest match odds and place a bet.
TV channel and live stream, and online coverage
The match will be shown live on Sky Sports' Football and Main Event channels, and is available via Now TV with a day pass on offer for £7.99. Sky Sports subscribers can stream the match online via SkyGo and the SkyGo app.
You can follow all the action with Standard Sport's LIVE blog.
Head to Head history (h2h)
The London rivals have met 162 times, with Chelsea winning 68 games to Tottenham's 54, with 40 draws along the way.
Their last meeting came on January 8, with Harry Kane's penalty sealing a 1-0 first-leg win for Spurs at Wembley.
