Chelsea vs. Tottenham: Premier League betting odds, preview, and pick

The famous saying is that good things come in threes, and for the third time this month Chelsea and Tottenham are going head to head in a London derby.

Chelsea came out on top in both legs of their League Cup semifinal, but they’ll need to do it again if they’re to stop their current league slump.

Tottenham are still unbeaten under Antonio Conte in the league and are on the hunt for a top-four finish. It’s all to pay for at Stamford Bridge between two teams with plenty of history against each other.

Trouble for Tuchel as Chelsea in disarray

Heading into December, Chelsea were top of the Premier League, unbeaten in eight games and keeping the pressure up on Manchester City and Liverpool.

How things have changed in a disastrous six weeks for Thomas Tuchel’s side. They’ve won just one of their last seven in the league, picking up eight points from a possible 21. Forget title-contending form, that’s bottom-half-of-the-table stuff. In the form table, taking into account the last six games, Chelsea sit 11th.

Wednesday's 1-1 draw away to Brighton left them falling further behind Manchester City, and Chelsea are now 12 points adrift of the top of the table, having played a game more. Having been title contenders, they are now looking over the shoulder and are in danger of being dragged into a battle for the top four.

Having built his team on strength from the back, Tuchel has had to watch Chelsea keep just one clean sheet in their last 11 league games, with West Ham the only top-half side to concede more in that time.

While it feels like it’s falling apart in the league, Chelsea comfortably dispatched Tottenham 3-0 on aggregate in the League Cup in the last few weeks and have gone 10 games unbeaten against them in all competitions (8-0-2). That should give them a sliver of confidence heading into a London derby that has become hugely important in Chelsea’s attempts to salvage their season.

Conte’s Champions League ambitions

Conte’s unbeaten Premier League streak since taking over at Tottenham at the start of November looked like it was coming to an end on Wednesday, as Spurs were 2-1 behind Leicester with the clock ticking past 90. But in an incredible few minutes in added time, Steven Bergwijn scored two goals in little more than 120 seconds to give Tottenham a thrilling 3-2 victory.

It was certainly not undeserved, with Tottenham having 20 shots to Leicester’s nine, as Spurs stretched their unbeaten league run to nine. As dramatic as the game was, Conte will be aiming to keep cool heads in the changing room, as Tottenham are now up to fifth and in a strong position to make a Champions League charge.

Tottenham are now just a point behind West Ham, and although they’re eight points behind Chelsea, they have four games in hand because of COVID-19 cancellations. Manchester City are the only Premier League side to have picked up more points per game in the last eight matches than Tottenham, who are in flying form — a stark contrast to Chelsea’s free fall.

Harry Kane has rediscovered the golden touch that made him such a deadly striker, with four goals in the last five games, and even with Heung-Min Son on the shelf, Tottenham have shown they have plenty of strength in attack.

Spurs have found the net in the last eight league games in a row (averaging 2.1 goals a game), although they have drawn blanks in their last five games against Chelsea.

Chelsea and Tottenham Betting Trends

• Seven of the last 10 games between Chelsea and Tottenham have had Under 2.5 goals
• Tottenham have kept four clean sheets in their last seven games
• Chelsea have conceded a goal in 10 of their last 11 league games
• Chelsea have lost to Tottenham just once at home in the last 32 years (23-1-12)
• Seven of Chelsea’s last nine games have had Under 2.5 goals
• Both teams have scored in just 37% of Tottenham’s league games this season

Tottenham to break the curse at the Bridge

Tottenham’s one win from 36 games at Stamford Bridge since 1990 is a real concern, but if they can overcome that scar tissue, they are a fantastic bet to beat an out-of-sorts Chelsea side.

Conte’s side have momentum behind them in the league, and while Chelsea were convincing winners over two legs in the League Cup, Spurs should have more about them, knowing a win here will put just five points between the teams.

Tottenham have shown a winning mentality in midweek that has often deserted them in the past, and Conte has brought a desire to the squad that can be the difference-maker at the Bridge.

Score prediction: Chelsea 0-1 Tottenham (+1100)

Chelsea vs. Tottenham: Under 2.5 goals (-118)

Same Game Combo: Tottenham to win, Under 2.5 goals, Harry Kane to score first (+2000)