Alan Shearer and Jamie Carragher both fancy Chelsea to beat Tottenham at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
Chelsea are fourth in the table and arrive in good shape after two straight league wins. Spurs sit 16th, but Monday’s win over Coventry was their first league victory of the season, and they’ll want to use it as a platform.
Tottenham’s history at this ground is bleak. They haven’t won there since April 2018, when Christian Eriksen and a Dele Alli brace sealed it for Mauricio Pochettino’s side. Roberto De Zerbi wants to end that run, though his team will need their best display yet to get past Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea.
Shearer has liked what he’s seen from the Blues this season and expects a home win. Speaking to Betfair, he singled out Moises Caicedo, saying he has made the difference and that Chelsea look a more rounded side. He noted the improvement has only come in the last two or three games, and credited Caicedo and Jordan Henderson for tightening up the midfield. On Spurs, he was pleased to see James Maddison return and score, and said Dejan Kulusevski got a warm reception when he came on late. Still, he felt Tottenham weren’t actually that good despite the result, so he’s going with Chelsea.
Carragher is on the same page and backs Alonso to outwit De Zerbi. Talking to Sky Sports, he called it a great weekend of fixtures, said he expects Arsenal to beat Everton comfortably, and suggested Brighton could see Liverpool’s winning run continue at Anfield. His pick for Saturday is a Chelsea home win over Spurs.
Chris Sutton, in his BBC column, praised both teams’ recent form but doesn’t think Tottenham’s poor record at Stamford Bridge will change. He pointed out that neither side is in Europe, yet Spurs don’t look like title challengers in the way Alonso’s team do. He also flagged that Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Everton was their first league clean sheet of the season, so defensive work remains. Spurs, he said, are improving slowly, and beating Coventry was important, but with just one Premier League win at Stamford Bridge ever, he expects them to leave with nothing.
