Oakland Raiders vs Chicago Bears
NFL regular season Week 5
Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Date: Sunday 6 October 2019
Kick-off: 6:00pm BST
The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium hosts NFL action for the very first time this weekend as the Oakland Raiders and Chicago Bears go head to head on Sunday.
Never before has a purpose-built NFL venue outside of the USA hosted a top-flight American Football contest and there is a sense of palpable excitement as Spurs - who have a 10-year partnership with the league to host a minimum of two games per year - prepare to showcase the artificial surface that lies beneath their retractable grass football pitch.
The nomadic Raiders have been designated as the home team for their trip to north London and travel across the Atlantic at 2-2 and in second place in the tough AFC West after bouncing back from successive losses to the Kansas City Chiefs and Minnesota Vikings to defeat the Indianapolis Colts 31-24 last weekend in an impressive road win.
Head coach Jon Gruden will be without the services of Vontaze Burfict against the Bears after the controversial veteran linebacker was suspended for the rest of the season for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Colts tight end Jack Doyle that saw him ejected from the game. The ban is being appealed.
Quarterback Derek Carr and company could be in for a tough afternoon against a vaunted Chicago defensive unit led by formidable linebacker Khalil Mack, who will relish the chance to wreak havoc on the team that traded him away in September 2018.
Matt Nagy's Bears are currently 3-1 and just behind the Packers in a highly-competitive NFC North after brushing aside their opening-night loss to Green Bay to knock off the Denver Broncos, Washington Redskins and division-rival Vikings in consecutive weeks.
Starting QB Mitchell Trubisky will not play in London after suffering a left shoulder injury early in the first quarter against the Vikings, but experienced back-up Chase Daniel proved himself a capable replacement last week as Chicago's fearsome defence led them to another victory.
TV, online and live stream coverage
In the United Kingdom, the match will be available to watch live on Sky Sports Action from 5pm BST and Sky Sports Main Event from 7pm.
The BBC will be providing highlights on BBC One, BBC Red Button and the BBC Sport website.
Tickets
Season tickets for the respective Tottenham and Wembley Stadium NFL London 2019 matches have all sold out.
To check availability for individual game and hospitality tickets, click here.
Prediction
The Raiders have been better than expected so far this season, though lack consistency and their offensive line will be severly tested by Mack and a Bears defence that ranks among the very best seen in the NFL over recent years.
As long as Daniel does not make too many errors and continues to go well in his simple role as a game manager, Chicago should ride that unit to another triumph.
Betting tips via Betfair | UK users only | Subject to change
- Raiders to win: 9/5
- Bears to win: 4/9
- Bears to win and under 40.5 points: 7/4
