Tottenham v Chelsea: Son can maintain hot streak in League Cup clash

Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea
Tuesday, 20:00
Live on Sky Sports Football

Hosts have trophy in sights

Spurs made a commanding start to their cup double-bill on Friday night, absolutely battering Tranmere Rovers at Prenton Park. And while an FA Cup would tick a number of boxes for the Mauricio Pochettino project, it is the League Cup that represents their best chance for a trophy this season, for now at least. Having put out a strong side in the last round against Arsenal, we can expect them to go at this match all guns blazing.

Harry Kane can be expected to return to the starting XI at Wembley, while Christian Eriksen, Toby Alderweireld, Kieran Trippier, Danny Rose and Moussa Sissoko all got a rest at Tranmere. Pochettino's hope will be that his side are fresh enough to reproduce the kind of performances they conjured against Everton, Bournemouth and Cardiff, and that the tiredness that cost them three points against Wolves is now in the rear-view mirror.

Chelsea struggling for rhythm

Confidence is a fragile thing in football, and Chelsea have seen theirs seep away over the last few weeks. The pass mastery that defines Maurizio Sarri's sides is still present and correct, but the Blues have been ponderous in the final third, too often reliant on Eden Hazard to come up with something special. They struggled against Leicester, Crystal Palace and Southampton, and even the FA Cup win over Nottingham Forest raised as many questions as it answered.

On the positive side, Callum Hudson-Odoi gave a fine demonstration of the skills that have made him a target for Bayern Munich, and there was another clean sheet for the defence. But an injury to Ruben Loftus-Cheek filled the treatment room yet further, and Álvaro Morata managed the impressive feat of scoring twice and still flattering to deceive.

Spurs favourites to establish lead

Tottenham appear to have the wind in their sails, and will be keen for a repeat of their 3-1 Premier League win over Chelsea in late November. Spurs came flying out of the traps in that one, scoring twice in the first 20 minutes, and rarely looked troubled by Hazard and co. The home win is 2.12, which seems fair enough.

The Blues have at least defended fairly well in recent weeks, and with a second leg st Stamford Bridge to come, they may feel that the job is one of containment: escape with the tie still in the balance and hope that their form has picked up a touch by the time the sides reconvene. That could lead to a conservative approach, meaning the draw is not beyond the realm of possibility at 3.70.

Son's form hard to ignore

Heung-Min Son scored against Chelsea in November. He has 12 goals in his last 13 starts for Tottenham. He came off after 65 minutes against Tranmere, so is likely to lead the line again alongside Kane. The South Korean is currently 5/4 on the Sportsbook to notch here.

Alternatively, if you like Spurs to win this, you can pair a Son goal with a home victory using the Same Game Multi tool. You can get around 5/2 for that double.

RECOMMENDED BETS

Back Heung-Min Son to score at 5/4 (Sportsbook)