Prediction and odds for the game: Chelsea (1/1) vs Tottenham (11/4)

We are backing the draw at odds of 5/2

When: Wednesday 5 January 2022, Kick-off 19:45

Where: Stamford Bridge

On Wednesday night, London rivals Chelsea and Tottenham go head-to-head at Stamford Bridge in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final.

Chelsea

The Blues head into this semi-final on the back of an exhilarating 2-2 home draw with Liverpool. Thomas Tuchel’s team came back from two goals down courtesy of goals from Mateo Kovacic and Christian Pulisic. The draw did little for their hopes of winning the English top-flight title, though, as the Blues are now ten points behind league leaders Manchester City.

The home team are now unbeaten in their last eight matches in all competitions, although five of those games have finished in draws.

While the Premier League trophy looks out of reach for the Blues, the Carabao Cup offers a real possibility of silverware for Tuchel’s team. It may not have been their season priority at the beginning of the campaign, but now they are in the last four then the Blues are likely to take the competition seriously.

Chelsea are unbeaten in five matches over 90 minutes in the Carabao Cup. Last time out in the competition, the Blues recorded a 2-0 win at London rivals Brentford.

Tottenham

Spurs have been in decent form of late under former Chelsea head coach Antonio Conte. In fact, Tottenham have lost just once in their ten matches under their Italian boss in all competitions. A last-gasp 1-0 win over Watford last time out kept the north London side well in the hunt for the Premier League’s top-four this season. In fact, Spurs are now just two points behind arch-rivals Arsenal with a game in hand on Mikel Arteta’s team.

While finishing in the Champions League spots is their priority this season, winning silverware would be a big bonus for a club so short of trophies in the last few decades.

Tottenham have a decent recent record in the League Cup, having won four of their last six matches in the competition over 90 minutes and one in extra time. Their only defeat during the run was against reigning English champions and league leaders Manchester City.

Tottenham have won just two of their previous six away games in 90 minutes. That run includes suffering a penalty defeat against Chelsea in 2019.

Conclusion

Both teams have been hard to beat of late, with Chelsea seemingly loving a draw, while Spurs look far stronger under Antonio Conte. With that in mind, we are backing this game to finish all square. The other bet we are backing is under 2.5 goals scored, as it could be a tight tactical battle.

Our Tips: We are backing the draw at odds of 5/2 and/or under 2.5 goals scored at odds of 17/20. (All odds are taken from Bet365).

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Who will gain the vital first-leg advantage in this vital capital derby?