Wednesday night sees a winner take all clash in North London as Tottenham host Chelsea in the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final.
The Blues have a comfortable 2-0 lead from the first leg played last week, though the result owed as much to Tottenham’s mistakes as it did to Chelsea’s front-foot play.
What’s clear is that Antonio Conte’s side will have to up the ante at White Hart Lane if they want to get back on terms, though the Italian’s team selection has left a little to be desired.
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Pierluigi Gollini keeps his place in goal, but so too does Emerson Royal at right-back. The Brazilian was clearly targeted in the first leg and appeared to be a weak leak for the North Londoners.
Our team to face Chelsea this evening! ? pic.twitter.com/Nk58WEr584
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) January 12, 2022
Up front, a lot will be expected of Gio Lo Celso and Lucas Moura, with Harry Kane needing to get amongst it too if Spurs want to have any chance.
For their part, Chelsea have decided to leave out the likes of Thiago Silva, N’Golo Kante, Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic, but their starting XI still looks strong.
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— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 12, 2022
Timo Werner partners Romelu Lukaku up front and with Mason Mount buzzing around in the spaces behind, the Blues have more than enough to keep Spurs’ back four busy.
Jorginho and Matteo Kovacic are likely to boss midfield, and provide ample cover for their back four.
Tottenham have it all to do with a superb London derby in prospect.