Spurs' Injury Problems Mount With Bale Unlikely To Face Chelsea

Tottenham have the rare opportunity to move five points clear of Chelsea with a game in hand on Thursday at White Hart Lane in what looks a must not lose match for the visitors. Chelsea's improved form came to an end at the weekend when they were held at Wigan and Andre Villas-Boas will know he can't afford to let Spurs get too far ahead of his team. Tottenham have made a great start to this campaign but they have largely had their best players to choose from and now Harry Redknapp must juggle his squad with several key players either missing or doubtful going into the busy festive period.

Spurs have won every home game this season that Emmanuel Adebayor has played in but the striker is rated a slight doubt ahead of this match because of a foot injury. That is a major worry for Redknapp with Jermain Defoe struggling with a hamstring injury whilst perhaps the most damaging news for Tottenham is that Gareth Bale is rated extremely doubtful due to an ankle injury. Aaron Lennon definitely misses out due to a hamstring strain and Ledley King, who rarely players twice in one week, is rated 50:50.

Chelsea skipper John Terry is likely to line up despite confirmation on Wednesday that criminal charges will be filed against the England player, he had been a doubt earlier in the week because of an achilles injury picked up in training but he is likely to feature in spite of both facts. David Luiz can play no part due to a knee problem whilst Ramires should be fit after recovering from a knee injury.

Chelsea have failed to win four of their last eight league games whilst Spurs have won every home league game since the transfer window closed so many will be backing Spurs to win to win this game. The ValueChecker wikis also point to a Spurs win, if you check out the Tottenham Valuechecker wikis you'll find that Spurs have one of the most formiddable records at home in recent seasons and also have a great record against the top sides. Further examination shows that Spurs most commonly concede exactly one goal and are a team to back to win 2-1 making that the best bet in this match at very nice odds.

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Recommendation: BACK SPURS TO BEAT CHELSEA 2-1