Chelsea take on Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium this evening.
Mark Lawrenson
Pundit Mark Lawrenson has told BBC Sport that he thinks Chelsea will beat Tottenham Hotspur on penalties in today’s FA Cup semi-final at Wembley Stadium.
Chelsea head into the game having been beaten 2-0 away at Manchester United last weekend, their second defeat in their last four Premier League games.
Antonio Conte’s men remain top of the Premier League table, but their lead at the summit has been swiftly cut from 11 points to just four points.
Their closest challengers in the Premier League are Tottenham Hotspur, and the bubbling rivalry between the two London clubs will continue this afternoon when they meet at Wembley Stadium.
Tottenham, who have so far seen off Aston Villa, Wycombe Wanderers, Fulham and Millwall in the FA Cup, must finally take on a Premier League team in this year’s competition, facing Chelsea, who have so far beaten Peterborough United, Brentford, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester United to reach the last four.
Spurs are the form team in England right now, having won each of their last seven Premier League games to chip away at Chelsea’s lead, with the two rivals now the only teams in with a shout of winning the title.
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino and Chelsea manager Antonio Conte
It promises to be a fierce battle between the two London sides, and Tottenham will be desperate to claim a place in the final following the passing of coach Ugo Ehiogu on Friday.
Now, pundit Mark Lawrenson has told BBC Sport that he thinks Chelsea will win the game on penalties after a 1-1 draw – and doesn’t believe that the result in the FA Cup tie will have any impact on the Premier League title race.
“I have heard people say that, if Tottenham beat Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final, it will help them win the Premier League too,” said Lawrenson. “Personally, I don’t think the outcome of this game will make any difference whatsoever to the title race. Chelsea struggled last weekend in their defeat against Manchester United,and since then it has emerged that some of their players were suffering from a virus.”
“I quite like the fact that Blues boss Antonio Conte did not use it as an excuse after the game, and I also don’t think they will play as badly again here. FA Cup semi-finals are horrible games to play in because all everyone is thinking about is how the final is so close. They are nearly always tight and this one will be the same. I am going to go with Chelsea to win it – but it will be very extremely close,” he added.
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