Chelsea vs. Tottenham: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream and TV Info
With one win apiece in the Premier League this season, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur will decide capital bragging rights in the Capital One Cup final on Sunday.
Tottenham edged Chelsea 2-1 in extra-time when the two London clubs met in the competition's 2008 final. Their Wembley history extends back to 1967 when Spurs beat the Blues to win that year's FA Cup final, and it also includes a 5-1 victory for Chelsea in the 2012 FA Cup semi-final.
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Both sides endured a less-than-satisfactory February results-wise (see a little below). But while Chelsea remain in the Champions League and top of the Premier League, Spurs have slipped in their quest for a top-four place and this week exited the Europa League.
The north London club's season being regarded as a success rests more on a victory this weekend. However, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is not looking beyond it either.
"I just think about the moment—only this game," said Mourinho, a coach of League Cup-winning teams in 2005 and 2007, per BBC Sport. "We have a final to win and nothing else matters."
For his part, Spurs head coach Mauricio Pochettino is trying to keep things simple.
"You always try to translate your experiences to the players, but we are confident and we believe in our way," he told his club's official website. "We don’t need to say too much, just to enjoy the occasion and try to be better than Chelsea."
Date: Sunday, March 1
Time: 4:00 p.m. GMT/11:00 a.m. ET
Venue: Wembley Stadium, London
TV Info: Sky Sports 1 (U.K. only)/beIN SPORTS (U.S. only)
Live Stream: Sky Go (U.K. only)/beIN SPORTS Connect (U.S. only)
Form Lines
| Chelsea | Tottenham Hotspur |
| Premier League, February 21: Burnley (h)—Draw: 1-1 | Europa League, February 25: Fiorentina (a)—Loss: 2-0 |
| Champions League, February 17: Paris Saint-Germain (a)—Draw: 1-1 | Premier League, February 21: West Ham United (h)—Draw: 2-2 |
| Premier League, February 11: Everton (h)—Win: 1-0 | Europa League, February 19: Fiorentina (h)—Draw: 1-1 |
| Premier League, February 7: Aston Villa (a)—Win: 1-2 | Premier League, February 10: Liverpool (a)—Loss: 3-2 |
| Premier League, January 31: Manchester City (h)—Draw: 1-1 | Premier League, February 7: Arsenal (h)—Win: 2-1 |
Team News
Both PremierInjuries.com and PhysioRoom.com have John Obi Mikel as Chelsea's only injury absence, while Nemanja Matic is suspended. Tottenham confirmed via their official website that Pochettino has a fully fit squad to choose from.
Predicted Formations
With Mikel injured, Ramires is the likely replacement for Matic in central midfield. Mourinho's main decision revolves around who he chooses to partner with captain John Terry at centre-back—Gary Cahill or Kurt Zouma.
Zouma has seen more action of late and has adjusted to the responsibility well. While Cahill struggled against Spurs last time out, his greater experience could still see him get the nod.
Pochettino also has a youth versus experience dilemma at centre-back with Eric Dier and Federico Fazio having shared playing duty recently. Further forward, the makeup of the attacking midfield trio in the head coach's usual 4-2-3-1 formation will hinge on where he decides to start Christian Eriksen.
The Argentine's biggest headline decision revolves around who he plays in goal. Michel Vorm has started every round of the Capital One Cup, but a start here would see first-choice Hugo Lloris miss out.
Such calls are part of the job for managers. But for occasions like this, it cannot be easy.
Chelsea Player to Watch: Diego Costa
Chelsea's 17-goal man Costa is currently on the joint longest barren run of an otherwise prolific first season in England. Unlike the unwanted four-game streak without a goal heading into December, this one has been exacerbated by his recent three-match suspension.
If the absence left Costa rusty against Paris Saint-Germain and Burnley, Mourinho will hope the minutes have been sufficient to prepare him for a return to form in the cup final.
Against the Clarets the Spain international showed his ability to cause problems even on a relative off-day. His mere presence in the six-yard box occupied the attentions of two defenders, allowing Branislav Ivanovic more space to make the run from which the right-back scored.
Costa was a goalscorer at White Hart Lane in January, and Spurs will be well-aware of how awkward a time the strong, direct player could give them. Just how much they will be able to do about it will depend in large part on the performance of the following man.
Tottenham Player to Watch: Jan Vertonghen
As mentioned in the discussion of Tottenham's predicted formation, Pochettino has a tough call in deciding who starts alongside Vertonghen in central defence. Whoever does, there will be an onus on the mainstay of the club's back four in recent months to take the initiative in stopping the Costa-led attack.
Caught out by on-loan Chelsea man Mohamed Salah in Thursday's Europa League defeat to Fiorentina, Vertonghen has had rough moments of his own during Spurs' hectic winter schedule (notably in his side's 3-0 loss at Stamford Bridge in December). But with the inexperienced Dier naturally still learning and Fazio a defender who particularly requires regular games to smooth out his rougher edges, the Belgian's playing well will be imperative to his side winning.
Chelsea have more besides Costa to trouble Spurs with, from the mazy dribbling of Eden Hazard to Cesc Fabregas' passing and runs from midfield. Do not forget defender Ivanovic; with four goals in his last six appearances, he is a battering ram capable of breaking through the strongest of defences.
Vertonghen alone will not be able to repel them. But he is as good as Spurs have in matching and perhaps bettering these opposing elements in and around their area.
If he is fully focused and prepared to marshal his squad throughout, Vertonghen's team-mates might then follow his lead.
Key Battle: How Do Chelsea Deal with Kane?
Chelsea have gotten to know Harry Kane rather well this season.
Prior to Christmas, the striker was involved in a flurry of early Spurs chances before the Blues took hold of their meeting. On New Year's Day, it was the 21-year-old who sparked the north Londoners' comeback from a goal down, terrorising the visitors' defence on the way to a 5-3 win.
Kane has gone from strength to strength since then (at least when leading the line rather than playing in a deeper role). Spurs' best 2015 work has also involved Eriksen's creativity and a team-wide relentlessness provided by players ranging from Nabil Bentaleb to Danny Rose.
Nonetheless, in the biggest games, their young forward has often made the difference—not just in goals, but in the driving runs that direct teams to places they did not want to be and in perceptive movement and passing which brought the best out of others too (see his assist for Eriksen's deciding semi-final goal against Sheffield United).
The Premier League leaders are obviously more than good enough to beat Spurs through their own array of attacking talent. But stop Kane, or at least limit his influence, and there is a strong possibility their opponents will aid the process with their own withering.
Whether it is in tit-for-tat centre-circle combat or a deeper restriction of Spurs' potential attacking channels, winning the midfield battle will hurt his supply line. Kane's equaliser in January demonstrated he can find ways through on his own, though.
Their best bet in direct encounters will be to engage Kane more forcefully than they previously did. Cahill and Ivanovic especially stood off him too much last time and suffered the consequences.
Odds (via Oddschecker)
Chelsea win: 4/6
Tottenham win: 9/2
Draw: 11/4
First goalscorer: Costa: 7/2, Kane: 13/2
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