Soccer in the UK has a language all of its own and pundits often talk about ‘six pointers.’ These are games that can determine a season and the side that wins gains a huge advantage in terms of promotion, relegation or some other aim.
Saturday’s early kick off at Stamford Bridge is one of those matches and, if either side can come away with three points, they will suddenly be in pole position for a top four Premier League finish and that final Champions League place. Will Tottenham Hotspur or Chelsea prevail or will the teams simply cancel each other out? (7.30am ET Saturday).
Chelsea vs Spurs Moneyline Odds
Just one point separates these sides in the EPL table but there is a clear favorite in this game. Home advantage has helped Chelsea head the United States’ sports betting sites’ market. You can pick up manager Frank Lampard’s men at prices between -136 and -140 in most places.
The remaining result options are tough to split and typically, you can get both the draw and the away win at around the +300 mark. The fixture schedule may also play into Chelsea’s hands and although the Blues were in action on Monday night, they have had an extra two days to prepare for this game.
Tottenham hosted RB Leipzig in their Champions League Round of 16 match on Wednesday night and a tough game, which ended in a 1-0 defeat, will have done little to lift morale. A home win does look like the most likely outcome but for better value, this preview will take a look at some props.
CFC vs THFC Prop Bets
Tottenham continue to take the field without their key striker Harry Kane and the team received a further blow this week with the news that Son Heung-Min may be out for the rest of the season. The South Korean striker had scored six goals in his last five games and in his absence, it is hard to see where Tottenham’s striking threat will come from.
The sportsbooks agree with this assessment as the first goalscorer betting is dominated by Chelsea players. Tammy Abraham is the current favorite but he is an injury doubt so be sure to check the team sheets before getting behind the England international.
Olivier Giroud may start from the bench so the most likely Chelsea player could be the Belgian international Michy Batshuayi. Spurs finally get a mention through sixth favorite Dele Alli who will be found at a similar +1100 price to his teammate Lucas Moura.
There are some interesting betting odds amongst those markets but what about our other favored prop bets? Both Teams to Score is getting close to a + figure and that’s where we like it but we’re not confident this week. Chelsea have failed to score in two of their last five games while Spurs have those obvious scoring concerns, so we are going to back ‘No’ on BTTS this time.
The fear of a dour game with little goalmouth action is also affecting our thinking in the Total Goals Betting. Backing under the 3.5 line would be safe in our opinion, even though the odds start to creep towards -300. If you’re braver, you could take under 2.5 which is closer to -100.
Player Form & Injuries
The real story in this game will concern the players who are missing rather than the ones who will take to the pitch. The Tottenham pair of Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min are definitely ruled out and if Chelsea’s Tammy Abraham joins them, we’ve lost three men who have returned 36 EPL goals this season.
In their combined absences, both teams have been struggling to find the net and we expect that pattern to continue. Chelsea’s reserve strikers, Giroud and Batshuayi have been in subdued form while Spurs simply don’t have any back-up center forwards.
Chelsea have experienced some issues over goalkeeper selection while it was interesting to note that Tottenham’s stopper, Hugo Lloris, was named Man of the Match by the BBC despite being on the losing side against RB Leipzig.
It all suggests that Saturday will provide a tight game and not only will that theory affect the result, we also need to take it into account when considering the prop bets.
Chelsea vs Tottenham Predictions & Picks Verdict for this Preview
This preview has underlined the key areas where this game will be won and lost and we have to come down on the side of Chelsea. The hosts aren’t in the best of form but they have that home advantage and will be fresh and rested, compared to their opponents.
Spurs are a side under immense pressure and those injuries will condemn them to defeat in our opinion. Issues in front of goal on both sides should leave us with a tight, low scoring afternoon. One goal could be enough to decide it and that would influence our thinking on the two prop bets listed below. These are the Chelsea vs Spurs predictions:
- Chelsea to win @ -136 with BetOnline.
- Both Teams to Score: Bet ‘No’ @ best odds of +105 with Bovada.
- Under 3.5 Goals @ -245 with Bovada.
Matt Harris is a golf and soccer expert for USA Betting. His other area of specialist knowledge is cricket. He is well known in sports journalism and contributes articles to a plethora of big-name websites and media outlets. Titles that he writes or has written for include: Betfair, BetVictor, Unibet & Just Bookies.