Chelsea vs. Tottenham: 5 Bold Predictions for London Derby

Rewind just a month into the past, and few will have considered this Tottenham's most important match of the season. Tottenham lead Chelsea by 10 points in the league, and Chelsea looked absolutely miserable under the increasingly unsustainable rule of Andre-Villas Boas.

But, oh how things have changed over the course of just a month. Though Chelsea have failed to fully capitalize on Tottenham's slip ups, they have cut Tottenham's league lead in half, and have a chance to come even closer in the league to Spurs with a win at Stamford Bridge.

Manchester City may have recorded an impressive comeback victory over Chelsea in the middle of the week, but Chelsea have been one of the form sides of the EPL, winning four of their five games under Roberto Di Matteo.

Meanwhile, few teams are in worse form than Tottenham, who barely avoided defeat at home to Stoke City courtesy of a last minute equalizer from Rafael van der Vaart.

Let's lay out a few predictions for Saturday's crucial match-up between these two big London sides.

If Tottenham Don't Win and Arsenal Win, Arsenal Will Finish Third

As every football fan on the planet knows by now, Tottenham's dropped points allowed Arsenal to climb ahead of Tottenham for the first time in ages. 

Though Arsenal only have a single point lead over Spurs, they will likely fight to the end to preserve that lead and achieve success over their league rivals, even if there is no trophy for finishing higher in the league than your rivals.

With Arsenal due to take on a struggling Aston Villa side at home the same day that Tottenham will be taking on Chelsea, there is every chance of Arsenal extending their lead over Spurs to four points by the end of Saturday.

If that happens, I wouldn't count on Tottenham closing the gap between themselves and the Gunners, even with the easier schedule until the end of the season.

If Chelsea Lose, Count Them Out of the CL Race

In all honesty, it's a big surprise for me that Chelsea are still in the Champions League race. They've struggled to pick up consistent results all season long, and still don't have a consistent goal-threat, despite the varying flashes of form we've seen from Torres this season.

But they're still in it, and that's all that matters. However, if they're knocked back by Tottenham in their London derby, I full expect that to be the nail in coffin.

Assuming Arsenal also manage to win, Chelsea would find themselves eight points out of the Champions League if Spurs managed to pull off a win at Stamford Bridge. With only eight games to go till the end of the season, it's unlikely Chelsea would have the time to make up the difference on their London rivals.

Additionally, Chelsea have the hardest schedule of London's three big clubs. They still have matches against Newcastle, Arsenal and Liverpool before the end of the season, and the latter two will be played away from home.

Contrast that with Arsenal, who only have two tough home games against Manchester City and Chelsea, and Spurs, who don't face any of the Premier League's top seven teams in their last eight games of the season.

It's very much "go hard or go home" time at Chelsea this weekend.

Rafael Van Der Vaart Will Score

Few of Tottenham's players have had it harder than Rafael van der Vaart in recent games.

Since returning from the injury suffered in Tottenham's 3-1 victory over Wigan, Van der Vaart has struggled to get back into his scoring and playmaking groove.

Admittedly, he'd been struggling with it for a while before his injury, but he's been really out-of-sorts since his latest return from injury.

Despite coming on with Tottenham up 2-1 over Arsenal, the Arsenal game completely passed him by, as he was little more than a spectator in the Gunners' rout of Spurs. Against Stevenage, he was unable to score against a weak defense, and against Everton, he was ineffective as a late substitute.

But against Stoke, VDV showed his ability to pop up with a goal in the biggest moments with a goal deep into extra time to end Tottenham's three-game losing skid.

Now is the time for VDV to show his star-quality and why he's rated as one of the world's best attacking midfielders. Luka Modric and Gareth Bale have had solid all-around seasons, but after this season's first ten games, VDV has been very below-par as compared to his previous seasons.

Now is VDV's time to shine and reclaim that form he showed in the first ten games of Spurs' season.

Terry is unlikely to be fully game-fit even if he features this weekend, whereas Branislav Ivanovic is unlikely to recover from his thigh injury in time for the London derby, forcing the error-prone Jose Bosingwa to start in his place.

Add in the often-erratic David Luiz, and this is a defense Van der Vaart should really trouble if he starts the game with the right approach.

Fernando Torres Will Score

Despite battling away and showing good pace and instincts against Manchester City, Fernando Torres could not build on his masterful two goal, two assist display vs Leicester City.

But that doesn't mean Torres is set to return to the same old out-form Torres we've gotten accustomed to this season.

Under Roberto Di Matteo, Torres has looked noticeably more confident and dangerous in front of goal, and Di Matteo has shown a willingness to give Torres more time to prove his worth.

In addition, although Tottenham's defense has been known for its solidity this season, injuries to Michael Dawson and recently Ledley King have left Tottenham rather bare at the back.

With only William Gallas, Ryan Nelsen and Younes Kaboul likely to be fit for the clash at Stamford Bridge, Torres will likely find his job much easier than it otherwise could have been.

He'll still have to work hard to score, but with a little bit of luck and the additional support provided by Chelsea's new formation, he could very likely found himself on the score-sheet by the end of the game.

Chelsea Will Win

I fully expect this to be a close game between two sides fighting for their club's season. 

Rafael van der Vaart will score, Fernando Torres will score, but ultimately, with the help of the new manager boost and home advantage, Chelsea will triumph two goals to one.

It hurts to make such a negative prediction against my team at a time when they most desperately need the win, but all the signs point to a Chelsea victory in this one.

There's always the chance that Luka Modric or Gareth Bale will produce a moment of sheer brilliance that will stun Chelsea, but they've both been short on those moments in recent games.

Emmanuel Adebayor's uncertain status doesn't help either, and if he is ruled unfit prior to the game, I expect Tottenham's offense to really struggle to produce the fluid football that has carried them all season long.

So there, as much as I hate it, I'm predicting a 2-1 victory for Chelsea. What are your predictions for the game and the final result?

Share them in the comments section below.