Tottenham v Chelsea: EFL Cup fourth-round predictions & free tips

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea in the EFL Cup fourth round on Tuesday.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Main Event & Sky Sports Football, 7.45pm Tuesday

Best bet

Chelsea
2pts 11-10 Betway

Team news

Tottenham
Heung-Min Son (hamstring) and Gareth Bale (knee) are unavailable.

Chelsea
Christian Pulisic (hamstring), Billy Gilmour and Hakim Ziyech (both knee) are ruled out.

Match preview

Tottenham were furious after dropping two points at home to Newcastle on Sunday and they may have to absorb another blow just two days later when hosting Chelsea in the fourth round of the EFL Cup.

Spurs and Chelsea are locked together on four points three matches into the Premier League season, but they are approaching this cup contest with different mindsets.

While Spurs were left devastated by the concession of a controversial injury-time penalty against Newcastle, Chelsea should be feeling positive after coming from three goals down to snatch a 3-3 draw at West Brom and there is nothing to stop Frank Lampard from naming another strong starting line-up.

Lampard will probably make a few changes as he juggles individual fitness requirements but it should be a well-balanced Chelsea side brimming with quality.

The starkest difference between the teams could be in the final third.

While Lampard mulls over whether to select Tammy Abraham, Olivier Giroud or Timo Werner at centre-forward, Jose Mourinho may have to consider deploying Dele Alli as a makeshift striker.

Alli has been linked with a move away from Spurs and was not deemed worthy of a place on the bench for either of Tottenham's last two Premier League games, but he is likely to be among several players recalled to the side as Mourinho tries to navigate a hectic schedule.

The match against Chelsea is Tottenham's third in a run of five games in 11 days and stands out as the one where wholesale changes will have to be made.

Mourinho went with a first-choice side at home to Newcastle and will want key men fresh for Thursday's clash at home to Maccabi Haifa which is the last obstacle standing between Spurs and a place in the Europa League group stage.

Playing a second-string team against Chelsea might not have been such an issue if Mourinho had finished reshaping his squad.

But he is still in the market for a centre-forward to provide much-needed back-up to Harry Kane and his attacking options were further reduced on Sunday with Heung-Min Son picking up a hamstring injury.

From a competitive point of view, Mourinho would love to have used Kane against Chelsea but the downsides of an injury to the 27-year-old are obvious.

Without Kane and Son, Spurs attacking threat is dramatically reduced and their defence could struggle to keep a clean sheet.

There are ongoing questions over Chelsea's rearguard, which looked all at sea at the Hawthorns, but the Blues are excelling in attack, scoring 12 goals in four games, and should sail through to the quarter-finals with a comfortable victory.

Key stat

Tottenham have not kept a clean sheet in their last six matches

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