On Sunday, Chelsea and Tottenham will battle it out against each other for an FA Cup final place. For Tottenham, the FA Cup is there only chance of silverware. For Chelsea, they also have a Champions League Semi-Final against proclaimed best club in the world Barcelona upcoming - both Tottenham and Chelsea have their arguable priority of achieving a top four finish in the Premier League to juggle too; as Arsenal look set to finish third, just one of Tottenham, Chelsea or Newcastle, can grab fourth place come the end of the season.
Form:
Chelsea – Under interim boss Roberto Di Matteo, Chelsea have played 11, won 8, drew 2, lost 1. If you look at that record under the impression of ‘it’s a result’s game’, then very successful it has been. However, if you look at the record taking performances into account aswell as the results, then it’s a very different story. The performances have lacked many aspects; unprofessionalism being one of the main missing factors. Against Stoke, Man City, Aston Villa, the Benfica second leg, Wigan and Fulham there has been a failure of seeing out a game with any ounce of professionalism by the Blues. Luckily for Chelsea, bar Man City and Fulham, the oppositon did not punish them to get a result. So in fairness, the recent form of Chelsea really does depend on what frame of mind you look at the record of Chelsea under ‘RDM’. On a results-based perspective it is a solid, successful record but in reality, Chelsea’s form is unsatisfactory if they want to finish the season on a high – and possibly with a piece of silverware or two.
Tottenham - Last 7 games: Won 2, Drew 3, Lost 2. Tottenham’s form has seemed to drop rapidly since major talk of Harry Redknapp to England has appeared, whether that’s coincedental or directly correlated is yet to be seen. Tottenham will be looking to win Sunday’s game not just to reach a Cup Final but also as a chance to strike confidence back through the players heading into their last five Premier League games of the season.
Injuries & Suspensions:
Chelsea – Branislav Ivanovic (three game ban starts this Sunday), Ashley Cole (doubtful)
Tottenham – Ledley King (doubtful due to playing Monday)
Dangermen:
Chelsea – Juan Mata. Mata has been one of the players of the season and creats attacking moves and opportunities for fun. Scott Parker will have to have his wits about him to keep this Spaniard quiet.
Tottenham – Gareth Bale. Bale has pace and has a consistent end product for a player with his pace. With Ivanovic missing at right-back, Bosingwa is Bale’s probable opponent and that is something that may strike fear in the eyes of Chelsea fans more than that of Bale’s; Ferreira is a possibility rather than Bosingwa, and he kept Bale very quiet earlier in the season at White Hart Lane.
Final Thoughts:
This is a vital game for both clubs, for many reasons. The team who comes out on top on Sunday may well be the team that comes out on top in the Premier League table in the race for fourth place, too. Chance for major Silverware and major confidence is at stake and come eight o’clock this Sunday only one club will have both; the other, however, will be looking to bounce back in the subsequent games.
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