Spurs gunning for bragging rights over Arsenal, Chelsea eyeing title

How mentally tough are this season’s top two? We’re about to find out as Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur ready themselves for testing high-pressure fixtures with the potential to derail their dreams of title glory. TODAY’s EPL analyst Adrian Clarke (sports [at] mediacorp.com.sg) looks ahead to a crossroads weekend…

Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal (Sunday, April 30; Singtel Ch102 & StarHub Ch227; 11.30pm)

Saint Totteringham’s Day, the annual carnival staged by Arsenal fans in celebration of finishing above Spurs, won’t make it onto the 2017 calendar.

It’s been a matter of time for some weeks now, but defeat to their neighbours in Sunday’s North London derby (April 30) will officially put Tottenham out of their reach for the first time since Arsene Wenger took the helm 21 years ago.

It will be a humbling experience. Fans at White Hart Lane will excitedly be musing over what to call this new date in the football diary.

The hosts will start as strong favourites - and rightly so.

Unbeaten at home all season, with eight straight wins in the Premier League, and a maximum 36 points out of 36 taken in front of their own fans since late October, Mauricio Pochettino’s side are flattening all-comers in an impressively dynamic, and destructive way.

Arsenal, whose away form has been shaky for months, will hold no fears for them.

A TACTICAL QUANDARY FOR POCHETTINO

Because they rarely alter their shape or style, it’s usually straightforward for opposition managers to make tactical plans for an encounter with Arsenal.

Not so on Sunday.

For the first time since I was a player at the club back in 1996-97, Wenger has been experimenting with a three-man defence, and having picked up a trio of victories it’s likely he’ll stick with it at White Hart Lane. But tellingly, Pochettino can’t be sure.

Does the Spurs boss make plans to match them up in an identical 3-4-2-1 formation like he did so successfully against Chelsea in the Premier League?

Or does he go with the 4-2-3-1 that helped them win their last two home games and transform a midweek clash at Crystal Palace from half time onwards?

Statistically, they are better with three at the back (they score more goals, they win more games) but the downside of that system means leaving in-form Son Heung-Min on the bench.

With a responsibility to take the game to Arsenal I’ll be surprised if the South Korean doesn’t start, so a back four looks most likely.

PREDICTION

As fabulous as they’ve been this season, there is still a perception that Tottenham crumbles when the going gets tough.

This penchant for messing up when it matters most has given birth to the term ‘Spursy’ and Arsenal, who are due a win in this derby, would certainly revel in taking advantage.

With the heat very much on it would be extremely ‘Spursy’ for Pochettino’s side to tighten up and fluff their lines against the Gunners.

Don’t rule it out, but they’re playing so well that it’s still hard to envisage a first home loss of the campaign.

Score call: Tottenham 2 Arsenal 2

Everton v Chelsea (Sunday, Ch103 & Ch228; 9pm)

Pass this examination and the title is theirs.

That’s the feeling ahead of Chelsea’s penultimate away game of the season, and it’s impossible to argue otherwise. Compared to the rest of their comfy looking run-in, Goodison Park is the slippiest banana skin they’ll face on the pathway to glory.

All the Blues have to do is negotiate this carefully.

Ronald Koeman’s Toffees have been sensational in front of their own fans this season, amassing 40 points on home turf so far (compared to 23 in total in 2015-16) and with the big match atmosphere always special inside this old stadium, Chelsea’s temperament must be ice cool.

Chelsea has LOST this fixture five times in the last seven years, so nothing will be taken for granted by the leaders.

LUKAKU’S BIG AUDITION

He may have been discarded as unwanted property by Jose Mourinho, but whispers that Chelsea are determined to buy Romelu Lukaku back from Everton are getting noisier ahead of the summer window.

Antonio Conte is reportedly a big fan of the 24-goal marksman, viewing him as the ideal man to fill unsettled Diego Costa’s boots next term.

The striker himself is also reported to have set his heart on a return to west London.

After barely getting a kick in Everton’s embarrassing 5-0 trouncing at Stamford Bridge, this is the Belgian’s big chance to catch Conte’s eye in the flesh, so you can expect Lukaku to be highly motivated.

He bagged a brilliant brace last March when Chelsea last visited Goodison, and his muscle will once again worry defenders Gary Cahill and Cesar Azpilicueta down the sides.

PREDICTION

Defensively, Chelsea are in the midst of a dip.

They arrive on Merseyside having shipped two goals in each of their last three outings, with no Premier League clean sheet under their belts since January.

This will provide Everton (and Spurs) with the hope of a major upset, but at the other end of the pitch Hazard, Willian, Pedro, Fabregas and Costa are all in fine fettle, and the home rearguard does look a little patched up at the moment.

Win here and it’s game over for the rest. I believe it’s set up for Chelsea to deliver a statement victory.

I’m expecting a performance of champions.

Score call: Everton 1 Chelsea 3

BIG MATCH PREDICTIONS

Manchester United v Swansea City (Sunday; Ch103 & Ch228; 6.55pm)

Nobody’s raving about United’s quality, but victory at home to Swansea will eclipse the best top-flight unbeaten streak in the same season that Alex Ferguson ever achieved. A home win at Old Trafford would make it 25 matches without defeat. Up against a struggling outfit who couldn’t score at Watford, West Ham or Bournemouth, I’d back the injury-hit Red Devils to do it.

Score call: 2-0

Middlesbrough v Manchester City (Sunday; Ch102 & Ch227; 9pm)

Ahead of next season, Pep Guardiola needs to find a better way of turning possession into goals against sides they dominate. City’s build-up play can be too slow, and is over-reliant on the wide men picking out inch-perfect crosses. Fit-again Gabriel Jesus returned as a sub in the Manchester derby, and I have a hunch he could come off the bench to be the hero.

Score call: 0-1

Watford v Liverpool (Tuesday; Ch103 &Ch228; 3am)

The Reds smashed Watford to smithereens early on this season (6-1) but they have awful memories of their last visit to Vicarage Road. Actually, most of Liverpool’s squad won’t remember it, for they never turned up in a humbling 3-0 defeat. Safe from relegation, Walter Mazzari’s men are in solid form at home, with winger M’Baye Niang the danger man. It will be a tricky test.

Score call: 2-2