CHELSEA travel to Tottenham on Thursday night in the Premier League. Tom Love (@TomLove_18) shares his betting thoughts.
Tottenham vs Chelsea | Thursday 4th February 2021, 20:00 | BT Sport
Thomas Tuchel has his first real test since being appointed Chelsea manager as he heads to London rivals Spurs under the lights. They’ve been very possession focused so far and you’d expect them to dominate the ball once more here with Jose Mourinho’s more pragmatic and safety first approach.
Mou’s dour style of play is nicely covered when results are going your way, but when they’re not – as is the case now – it really starts to grind on fans and it will naturally give Mourinho a shelf life.
Jose will be without Harry Kane and Sergio Reguilon here, two of their top performers this season and Spurs have won just 2 of their last 9 league games.
It’s no surprise that Spurs are as big as 11/4 to win here, even with home advantage. That being said, it’s hard to know what to expect from Chelsea and the sides could feel each other out for quite a while. The 6/5 about it being all square at half time does appeal, I think both managers would be happy with that situation.
Games between the Big Six have tended to be low on goals and entertainment, I would not be surprised to see that trend continue on Thursday evening. But with these two being involved in card heavy games in the last decade I’m going to combine a pro-cards and anti=goals approach in the BetBuilder market. We can get a smidgen under even-money for Under 4 Goals and both teams to collect a card, and that appeals.
Chelsea have seen Under 2.5 cop in each of their last 4 games and Under 3.5 in 7 of their last 8 on the road. Spurs have seen Under 3.5 in 75% of their league games, including 8/10 at home.
Andre Marriner has the whistle and he’s tended to be someone to ignore when it comes to cards, but he’s been a bit more candid of late. Marriner has carded both sides in 6 of his last 7 games, and both sides have been carded in the last 7 home Spurs games, as well as the last 5 Chelsea away games.
Best Bets
Tottenham vs Chelsea – Half-Time Draw (6/5 Betfred)
Tottenham vs Chelsea – Under 4 Goals, Each Team Over 0 Cards (20/21 Bet365)
