In one of the most anticipated Premier League matches of the season so far, Tottenham Hotspur play hosts to table-toppers Chelsea at White Hart Lane on Wednesday night - in Football FanCast's Fixture in Focus.
The Blues are five points clear at the top of the standings and enjoying a brilliant season under the leadership of Antonio Conte, with the likes of Eden Hazard and Diego Costa back to their best after below-par 2015/2016 campaigns.
Conte’s men are currently on a 13-match winning run in the top flight – with their last victory coming against Stoke on Saturday – but they will face a tough task to extend that to 14 when they come up against London rivals Spurs, who are in fine form themselves.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side have taken all three points in four of their last five league fixtures, scoring 18 in the process, and Harry Kane and Dele Alli are in particularly good goalscoring form.
So how will the match pan out? Who are the favourites? Who is absent through injury and who’ll prove to be the ultimate influence on the scoreline?
Well, consider this your all-in-one preview ahead of Wednesday’s meet, covering injury news, form, key battles, curious statistics and much, much more!
Favourites, form and prior encounters
SkyBet Odds
Spurs win: 8/5 Draw: 23/10, Chelsea: 17/10
Despite winning 13 Premier League matches on the trot and looking like the favourites to win the title come May, it is Pochettino’s Tottenham who are the slight favourites on Wednesday night.
Spurs currently lie in fifth position and 10 points behind Antonio Conte’s side in the table, but they come into this fixture in confident mood having won their four of their last five top flight games, including successive 4-1 wins against Southampton and Watford respectively, while they have netted 18 times in that sequence of results.
Chelsea themselves have found the net seven times in their last two games so it could well be a high-scoring encounter at White Hart Lane, but the Blues certainly have the head-to-head advantage, being beaten by their London neighbours just once in their last 13 Premier League encounters – a 5-3 loss at the Lane in January 2015.
Odds courtesy of SkyBet.
Injuries & Suspensions
According to our mates at PhysioRoom, with defenders Jan Vertonghen and Kyle Walker back after they served one-match suspensions against Watford, the only Spurs player that will be missing for the big clash at White Hart Lane is forward Erik Lamela, who has a hip problem.
Meanwhile, the Premier League leaders have slight doubts over two of their players; left wing-back Marcos Alonso is struggling with an ankle injury, while club captain John Terry has a gluteal strain.
Likely starting XIs
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Mauricio Pochettino has something of a selection headache ahead of the visit of the leaders, with Jan Vertonghen and Kyle Walker returning from injury.
The defensive duo missed the win over Watford where Spurs reverted to three at the back, but they are likely to go with four in defence for the visit of Chelsea. Kevin Wimmer and Kieran Trippier are likely to be the two players that miss out.
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Aside from a couple of changes here and there, Antonio Conte has largely stuck with the same formation and starting XI during Chelsea's 13-match win winning run, but he could make a change for the trip across the capital.
While Cesc Fabregas has been in good form, the Italian manager might opt to go with the more defensively-minded Nemajna Matic at White Hart Lane, while Willian could again be preferred to Pedro after scoring a brace in the win against Stoke.
The Key Battle: Toby Alderweireld vs Diego Costa
After serving a suspension during the win over Bournemouth, Costa was back with a bang in the 4-2 win against Stoke City at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
The Spaniard’s hold-up play was a joy to behold and it was with his help that the likes of Willian and Cesc Fabregas could flourish in midfield. The former scored a brace while Costa finished off another impressive performance with his side’s fourth goal.
That was his 14th of the season and he is the Premier League’s top goalscorer going into Wednesday night’s huge clash.
He will come up against Spurs centre-back Alderweireld, who has proven that he is one of the best defenders in the top flight.
The Belgian has been missing because of injury and illness in the last few weeks but did make a return in the 4-1 success against Watford at the weekend. He will need to be at his very best to stop a rampant Costa.
Word from the managers
Pochettino on Chelsea: “Chelsea arrive in a very good shape, we too, and it will be a very tough game but a great opportunity for us to try and stop them and reduce the gap.
"I think it is important for the Premier League and for us that we try and win. Then our challenge is to be in the top four.”
Conte on Tottenham: "It’s another challenge, another type of football to face [from Stoke] because Tottenham like to play from the back.
‘They like to put a lot of pressure on when you are in possession. We have to prepare very well because this game for sure will be very, very tough for us, but also for them."