EPL Odds: Chelsea, Spurs Meet in First Heavyweight Clash of Season

Tottenham (+105) vs. Chelsea (+300), Draw (+260)

Tottenham (1-0-0, 3 points) and Chelsea (0-0-1, 0 points) meet this Sunday (August 19th) for the first heavyweight bout of the 2017-18 Premier League season. Spurs are coming off a comfortable 2-0 win over the newly promoted Newcastle, while Chelsea are reeling after a shocking 3-2 loss against Burnley. 

Chelsea’s problems are starting to reach a boiling point. After a dominant display last season that saw them win the league by a sizable margin, the returning champs dropped some crucial players over the summer. They lost their star playmaker, Nemanja Matic, to Manchester United, and their pacey right winger, Juan Cuadrado, to Juventus. And after the debacle surrounding Diego Costa and Atletico Madrid, their star striker and former top goalscorer is now persona non grata as far as the club is concerned.

After a bitter falling out with manager Antonio Conte, Costa was informed he longer has a place at Chelsea. The problem is, he currently doesn’t have a place anywhere. The 28-year-old is in a state of limbo and Chelsea are left scratching their heads over what to do with him.

After receiving red cards against Burnley, Gary Cahill and Cesc Fàbregas will be suspended for the match against Tottenham. This would be a setback in any situation for Chelsea but it’s an especially bitter pill to swallow right now. As it stands, the Blues will also be missing Tiemoué Bakayoko, Eden Hazard, and Pedro due to injury.

Tottenham are off to a good start after cruising to victory against Newcastle. They aren’t at their best though, after losing star defender Kyle Walker to Manchester City and making no signings over the summer. Also, with Danny Rose and Erik Lamela injured, Tottenham will be missing some crucial players for their clash against the Blues.

But their problems pale in comparison to Chelsea’s. Despite not having a full-strength squad, Tottenham still looked convincing against Newcastle. Chelsea is in disarray at the moment while Spurs appear focused and composed. Playing in front of their fans at their new home of Wembley Stadium will make Tottenham extremely tough to beat. With such a depleted lineup, it’ll be a hard road ahead for Chelsea.

Pick: Tottenham (+105)