Yahoo Sports Tottenham 1 Chelsea 2 - as it happened: Marcos Alonso to the double after Michy Batshuayi own goal
Tottenham play their first home Premier League game at the stadium where they lost three times in five appearances last season.
Mauricio Pochettino revealed this week his desire to win a “real trophy” with Spurs – and what better way to banish that Wembley curse and prove his intention realistic by dispatching the visiting domestic champions on Sunday.
They face a Chelsea team in a minor crisis. The defence of their title got off to the worst possible start last weekend as they were reduced to nine-men and fell to a 3-2 defeat to Burnley at Stamford Bridge.
Their manager, Antonio Conte, has cut a dispirited figure since lifting the Premier League trophy in June although did lift the mood in his press conference before this game when Diego Costa’s name was mentioned.
While the Spanish striker looks set for the exit door, Conte could put any doubts to bed over his own future with a positive result against Spurs and create a whole load of new ones for Pochettino and his “real trophy” hunt – with at least another 18 games to play on the cursed Wembley turf this season.
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It’s a big game for…
Alvaro Morata. Chelsea’s record signing has had to settle for a place on the bench in his first two games for the club but spoke this week of wanting to “make an explosion” in the Premier League after never quite establishing himself in La Liga or Serie A.
“I played well at Real Madrid and at Juventus, but I think I did not make the explosion that everyone expected of me,” Morata told Sky Sports this week. “I need to play every weekend, score goals and play at the top level every weekend. And I work for this situation.”
The Spaniard got off the mark against Burnley last weekend and has extra motivation to pull out a big performance at Wembley after missing a penalty there in the Community Shield against Arsenal.
Best stat…
This will be the first-ever match held at Wembley, which will become the 58th different stadium to host a game in the competition.
Remember when…
These two sides last met at Wembley. Spurs came into the FA Cup semi-final off an eight-match winning run – including consecutive 4-0 victories – but were comprehensively beaten 4-2 by Chelsea. Spurs twice fought back from a goal down to level the scores at 2-2, but Eden Hazard’s low drive from the edge of the box and Nemanja Matic’s thunderbolt secured a well-deserved win.
Player to watch…
Tiemoue Bakayoko. There is a lot of pressure on the Frenchman after Matic’s strong start to the season following his transfer to Manchester United. Bakoyoko hasn’t had the ideal start to his Chelsea career after struggling with injury and – with the Blues struggling for cover in midfield – Conte warned that he may have to rush the 23-year-old into the starting line-up at Wembley.
A big performance here, which he is more than capable of given his form for Monaco last year, would certainly reassure Chelsea fans after the loss of Matic.
Predicted teams...
Tottenham: Lloris, Davies, Trippier, Vertonghen, Alderweireld, Dier; Wanyama, Dembele; Eriksen, Alli, Kane
Chelsea: Courtois, Moses, Alonso, Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Luiz; Bakayoko, Kante; Willian, Morata, Batshuayi
Form guide…
Tottenham: WWWWLW
Chelsea: LDWWWW
Vital information…
Kick-off time: 16.00 BST on Sunday
TV: Live on Sky Sports Premier League/Sky Sports Main Event/Sky Sports Ultra HD
Odds…
Tottenham: 6/5
Chelsea: 14/5
Draw: 5/2
