Chelsea vs Tottenham LIVE
EFL Cup semi-final second leg
Venue: Stamford Bridge
Kick-off: 7:45pm GMT
Chelsea and Tottenham face off tonight for the chance to face Manchester City in the EFL Cup final - and only a win will do for Maurizio Sarri's Blues tonight.
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.
We will have all the latest news and analysis from our team, with James Olley, Simon Johnson, Dan Kilpatrick, Vaishali Bhardwaj and Jack Rosser at the Bridge tonight.
Follow all the build-up with Standard Sport!
Can't see the blog? Click here for the desktop version.
Chelsea team news and predicted line-ups
Gonzalo Higuain will not feature for Chelsea as his anticipated signing was not completed in time.
Eden Hazard could continue as a 'false nine' or Olivier Giroud could start, with Alvaro Morata out of favour ahead of his expected departure.
Midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek (back) is likely to be out again.
Chelsea (4-3-3): Kepa; Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Luiz, Alonso; Kante, Jorginho, Kovacic; Pedro, Willian, Hazard.
Tottenham team news and predicted line-ups
Spurscould have Lucas Moura and Moussa Sissoko back tonight. Moura (knee) and Sissoko (groin) have been in the treatment room but could return at Stamford Bridge.
Dele Alli (hamstring) has joined Harry Kane (ankle) in the treatment room until early March while Son Heung-min is on international duty at the Asian Cup.
Spurs (4-3-2-1): Gazzaniga; Trippier, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Rose; Sissoko, Dier, Winks; 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: 5/6
- Tottenham to qualify: 4/5
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.
