The Carabao Cup semi-finals are upon us and Chelsea will entertain Tottenham Hotspur in the first leg of this all-London derby tie at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night.
Thomas Tuchel’s side will be hoping to put their poor league form behind them and make amends here on home soil, as they aim to give themselves an advantage heading into the second leg next week.
Antonio Conte returns to his former club for the first time with Spurs and he will also be hoping to make an impact, as he aims to take the club one step closer to their first piece of silverware since winning this competition in 2008.
Spurs will be looking to reach a second consecutive Carabao Cup final after last season’s 1-0 defeat to Manchester City, in which they defeated tonight’s opponents on penalties following a 1-1 draw in the Fourth Round on their way to Wembley Stadium.
The Blues are coming off the back of a scintillating 2-2 draw at home to Liverpool on Sunday, while Conte’s side grabbed a last-minute 1-0 victory at Watford on Saturday in the Premier League.
Who do you think will come out on top in the first leg at Stamford Bridge? Have your say in the comments section below.
Match odds
When is Chelsea vs Spurs?
Chelsea vs Spurs will kick off at 7:45pm on Wednesday, January 5, at Stamford Bridge.
The last meeting between these two sides ended in a 3-0 victory for Chelsea at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium back in September.
After a goalless first half, Thiago Silva, N’Golo Kante and Antonio Rudiger all struck after the interval to secure three huge points for Chelsea to keep them at the top of the Premier League.
How to watch
The game will be televised on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football, while Sky customers can stream this via SkyGo and watch in-game clips on the Sky Sports website and app.
Match odds
Chelsea vs Spurs odds with Grosvenor Sport
Chelsea 19/20
Draw 13/5
Spurs 27/10
*odds subject to change
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Team news
Despite suffering with a number of absentees, Thomas Tuchel is likely to play his strongest side possible as the Blues look to get the job done on home soil ahead of the second leg next week.
Reece James (thigh) and Andreas Christensen (back) are out following their recent injuries, while Timo Werner (Covid-19) and Ruben Loftus-Cheek (ankle) also remain as doubts.
Elsewhere, Ben Chilwell (knee) is out for the season, Edouard Mendy has left for the African Cup of Nations and Romelu Lukaku isn’t expected to play again anytime soon after his recent in-house disciplinary matter.
As for Spurs, things are looking far better for them and they have just three absentees ahead of this tie, leaving them with a near fully-fit squad for this all-important clash.
Steven Bergwijn (calf) will miss out again following his injury sustained against Crystal Palace on Boxing Day, while Cristian Romero and Ryan Sessegnon (both thigh) continue to recover.
With an FA Cup tie on Sunday against League One Morecambe coming up, it can be expected that Conte will have no worries about playing his strongest squad at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.
