Chelsea predictions vs. Spurs: Bottle jobs, pens and a faux nine

Tottenham come to Stamford Bridge without three of their stars, while Maurizio Sarri hopes his stars respond well to his dressing down earlier in the week. Here are our predictions for Chelsea’s second leg of the Carabao Cup semifinal.

Gonzalo Higuain was not registered in time to play against Tottenham today, so he may be enjoying his first game in England not with his new teammates but in the director’s box, embracing his new home with a plate of west London’s finest prawn sandwiches. But if he is sat among the Chelsea players, we hear he always carries a pack of Nutella biscuits in his pocket, just in case.

Scott Brant: Chelsea 2 – 0 Tottenham. A bit of hopes and prayers here. Chelsea certainly benefits from the loss of Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min, who probably account for the same amount of goals as the rest of the team. Spurs’ attack will surely be dismal and, after all, they are Spurs. Expect Chelsea find a way through while Spurs tuck their tail and run.

I am hoping Eden Hazard comes out like gang-busters and reacts positively to Maurizio Sarri’s slight criticism. Hazard with a goal, and either Pedro or Willian to get the other.

Mason Plummer: 2 – 0. The boys in Blue rebound from a rough week and defeat a beat-up Spurs side. Without Kane, Dele Alli or Son in the team, Spurs will struggle to find a goal. Chelsea – through Hazard – will bombard the Tottenham goal and eventually score twice to move onto the final against Manchester City. Hazard and Olivier Giroud score.

Kevin Peacock: 1 – 0. This is not easy. After the public tongue lashing they were given, Chelsea’s players have the chance to prove their manager wrong. Are they lacking motivation? Do they care? I reckon they do, but am not entirely convinced they’ll show it against a weakened Tottenham team.

The game will be tight. Obviously I’m not expecting any changes to the starting XI and will be hoping for an edgy 1-0 win that will take the game to penalties. After that, it’s a lottery.

Barrett Rouen: 3 – 1.Tottenham are going to be weaker than they have been recently due to the injuries to both Harry Kane and Dele Alli, who are the real leaders in the squad. For the first time ever, I expect Chelsea’s players to respond positively to the recent comments by Maurizio Sarri, as opposed to just sinking like a pint of lead.

I could be wrong, though, in which case the season is over and Sarri is going to be fired by next week.

Gabe Henderson: 2 – 1 (Chelsea win on penalties). Spurs always find some way to bottle a chance at a trophy. They’ve stumbled upon some unfortunate luck with injuries, but they’ll squander another chance nonetheless. A lucky counter-attack will see them draw level on aggregate in a game dominated by Chelsea. The Blues’ lethal ability to score from the spot will take them to the final against Manchester City.

Abhishek Pancholi: 1 – 2. The nomadic North Londoners may not have a stadium, Harry Kane or a couple of other players, but they are still a dangerous proposition. Especially for a team like Chelsea, whose (over)confidence has been repeatedly kicked in the crotch by its own manager in recent days.

Gonzalo Higuain missed the deadline to be eligible for this game which, some might say, looks like a sign of what is to come. Nevertheless, a Hig-less Chelsea will start with Eden Hazard as a faux nine. The Belgian will prove his manager right about his lack of leadership skills and inclination to chase the ball all over the pitch, tactical plan be damned.

Overall, a damp squib of a London derby awaits, with Chelsea grabbing a late consolation after doing naff all in the preceding 85 minutes.