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NederlandWith one foot already in the EFL Cup final, Chelsea travel to Tottenham Hotspur seeking to complete the job in the second leg of their semi-final on Wednesday night.
Thomas Tuchel's men claimed a 2-0 win in the first leg and are only 90 minutes away from setting up a final showdown with Arsenal or Liverpool.
Match preview
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Much was made of Antonio Conte's return to the Stamford Bridge dugouts for the first leg of Tottenham's EFL Cup semi-final, but the Italian admitted that the gap to Chelsea was evident as the European champions marched to a convincing 2-0 win on home soil.
Kai Havertz took all of five minutes to open the scoring on the night before a comical own goal settled the contest before half time, as Japhet Tanganga's attempted clearance from a free kick cannoned off Ben Davies into the back of the Tottenham net.
The Lilywhites were also very nearly humbled in the FA Cup by Morecambe at the weekend, but once reinforcements in the shape of Lucas Moura and Harry Kane arrived from the bench, Conte's side ultimately booked their spot in the fourth round of the tournament.
That 3-1 win was the latest in a long line of home successes for Spurs under Conte, with the ex-Chelsea and Inter Milan boss winning seven and drawing one of his eight games in charge at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium since arriving in North London.
Spurs have impressively notched up at least two goals on each of those occasions, and they will need to produce a similar sort of ruthlessness if they are to have any chance of turning the tie around against Conte's former employers.
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The strength of Chelsea's XI versus non-league Chesterfield in the FA Cup did surprise some, but Tuchel ensured that no giant killings would occur at Stamford Bridge over the weekend, as the Blues marched to a resounding 5-1 success.
Timo Werner, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Romelu Lukaku and Andreas Christensen killed the game off before half time, and a Hakim Ziyech penalty further humbled the non-league side before the hour mark, but Akwasi Asante's consolation made the journey for the travelling Chesterfield fans somewhat worthwhile.
Still competing for success on four fronts this season, Chelsea's bid for Premier League glory has lost its momentum in recent weeks, but Tuchel's side are in no position to turn their noses up to a mid-season trophy as they endeavour to avoid a calamitous collapse in North London.
The Blues have now gone unbeaten in 10 games across all competitions - five of which have ended with the spoils shared, though - but they have struck at least two goals in six of their last seven games on the road ahead of the second leg.
The 2-0 win on home soil last week marked Chelsea's third win and third clean sheet on the bounce against Tottenham, who have only scored two goals against the European champions in their eight meetings since February 2019.
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Team News
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Spurs have been dealt a major injury blow after Son Heung-min reported muscular pain in his leg following the 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge, and the South Korea international could be out until the next international break.
Cristian Romero is edging closer to a return but will miss out once again alongside Son, while Steven Bergwijn and Eric Dier are also not at Conte's disposal.
Conte has a big decision to make in the final third following Son's injury, with neither Dele Alli nor Bryan Gil impressing against Morecambe, so Harry Winks could instead earn another start in the middle as the Italian switches to a 3-5-2.
Meanwhile, Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has tested positive for COVID-19 while on duty with Senegal for the Africa Cup of Nations, and it remains to be seen if Thiago Silva and N'Golo Kante will recover from the virus in time for this game.
Cesar Azpilicueta should shake off a bout of cramp in time to line up here, but Reece James, Ben Chilwell and Trevoh Chalobah will all miss the second leg.
Kepa Arrizabalaga, Jorginho and Kai Havertz are among those who will look to reclaim their rightful spots in the first XI, but Saul Niguez may cede his place in the starting lineup.
Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:
Lloris; Tanganga, Sanchez, Davies; Emerson, Hojbjerg, Skipp, Winks, Reguilon; Lucas, Kane
Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Kepa; Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Sarr; Ziyech, Jorginho, Kovacic, Alonso; Mount, Havertz; Lukaku
We say: Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 Chelsea (Chelsea win 4-1 on aggregate)
There are no two ways about it - any lack of urgency or ruthlessness from this Tottenham side will prove fatal, and Conte ought to send his side out there to attack a Chelsea backline that is far from impenetrable.
However, having to call upon the big hitters from the bench to beat Morecambe does not bode well for the hosts, and we expect Chelsea to see the job through and book their tickets to Wembley.
