One goal down

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Front-Row Preview

Chelsea vs Tottenham

Tonight @ 7:30 BST, Sky Sports Main Event

Alright. We have another preview for you.

If you’ve forgotten to send that important work email. Or the washing machine pile is stacked to the brim. Don’t worry… we’re all in the same boat this week. 

There’s so much football to keep up with so we’ve got you covered. 

This time, it’s a midweek battle between Chelsea vs Tottenham. 

And we’re not going to beat around the bush for this one… we’re expecting pure chaos.

Hands up if you remember when Chelsea beat nine-man Spurs 3-1 in November. Yup. That’s most of the class. 

To be fair to Ange, Spurs were two men down and Micky van de Ven picked up an injury. 

Either way, Chelsea’s record is strong against Spurs:

• The Blues have only lost one of the last 33 league meetings with Spurs…

• … and they’ve done the double over Spurs on nine occasions.

If we’re talking about form… then Ange’s side has lost two of their last three away games, whilst Chelsea have won seven of nine home games.

But, let’s be honest, consistency hasn’t been Chelsea’s forte this season so it’s hard to know what to expect.

• 💉 Chelsea Quick-Hit: Cole Palmer has scored a hat-trick in each of his last two Premier League home games. The only player to ever score three or more goals in three straight home games is Haaland.

• 💉 Spurs Quick-Hit: Tottenham sit seven points adrift of Aston Villa in the league with two games in hand.

Plus…

The Premier League has released the audio for Nottingham Forest’s third penalty appeal (More)

Manchester United move out of the top 10 in UEFA’s latest club ranking as Manchester City lead the way (More)

Bruno Fernandes speaks out on Manchester United's future and possible move away from the Premier League (More)

Stats Summary

Borussia Dortmund 1 - 0 PSG

Champions League Semi-Final

→ Borussia Dortmund recorded their first win over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League since the first leg of their last 16 tie in the 2019-20 campaign - and they remain unbeaten at home against the Parisians.

→ PSG have progressed from two of their last four Champions League knockout ties when losing the first leg, with the first of those coming against Dortmund in the 2019-20 round of 16.

→ Jadon Sancho completed 12 dribbles in tonight's match, the most by an English player in a UEFA Champions League match.

Roma vs Bayer Leverkusen 

Europa League Semi-Final, 20:00 BST, TNT Sports

→ Roma and Bayer Leverkusen drew 0-0 at BayArena when they last played each other.

→ Leverkusen struck another dramatic, last-minute equaliser against VfB Stuttgart at the weekend to make it 46 competitive games without loss.

Aston Villa vs Olympiakos 

Europa Conference League Semi-Final, 20:00 BST, TNT Sports

→ This is the first meeting between Aston Villa and Olympiakos in a European competition. 

→ Villa are in good form having lost just once in their last six games in all competitions (W3 D2). 

→ Olympiakos are also in good form, having only lost once in their last seven games in all competitions (W5 D1).

Game In Numbers

Can you win the Premier League always starting from a goal down? 

If Manchester City win the league again, we might have to think about ways of making it harder for them. 

(Anything but - of course - a point deduction).

At the start of last season, one journalist thought of a way of making the Bundesliga more competitive: by allowing Bayern Munich’s opponents to start with a one-goal lead.

That was - well - before Bayer Leverkusen did what they did. 

Anyway, The Times have put this to the test to see if it’s a viable option.

Luckily for us, Liverpool have already tried this out. By accident, of course.

• Klopp’s men have conceded first on 32 occasions in the league over the past two seasons (43% of matches).

• And they’ve only come back to win 9 times (28% win rate).

So… not great.

Why? The data shows that scoring first is a big power play - and only five teams have less than a 50% win rate when getting the opener… 

Tactically speaking, teams tend to lock up shop when they’re leading. Even Arsenal struggle to create chances when the game is level or they go behind. 

Arteta’s men have relied on set pieces to get out of deadlock, as they’ve scored 12 go-ahead or equalising goals from a set-piece. 

Anyway, is it possible to win the league when starting with a goal down?

Well, technically, yes. According to The Times data, the top three sides - Arsenal, City and Liverpool - all average an expected goal difference (xGD) per 90 of more than one when trailing. 

And - to rub salt into the wounds - City averages 2.52xG and face only 0.72xGA when they’re losing. 

Of course, chasing every game each week will take its toll. 

But, still, it looks like it’d take more than just a goal a game to knock City off their perch.

Off The Pitch

Inside Highgate’s unsold £32 million mega-mansion (More)

Binance founder Changpeng Zhao has been sentenced to four months in prison (More)

England cricketer Monty Panesar to stand for George Galloway’s political party (More)

‘Healthier’ white bread could soon be on the shelves (More)

McDonald’s will test a bigger burger in a bid to boost sales (More)

Mercedes are preparing a £128 million offer for Max Verstappen to join the F1 team from Red Bull (More) 

Around The Football World

🌎 Female footballers are ‘six times likelier to get injured before period’, according to a new three-year study by a team of scientists at UCL and the University of Bath (More)

🇪🇸 Ex-La Liga manager has banned his daughter Nadia Jemez from dating footballers (More)

🇸🇦 Saudi Pro League is changing its strategy from a “retirement home” for footballers to supporting sustainable home-grown talent (More)

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Luton’s Tom Lockyer has said he would “love” to return to playing professional football by the 29-year-old is at “peace” with retirement possibility after cardiac arrest (More) 

Extra Time

Trent Alexander-Arnold is seen on a date with Jude Law’s daughter, Iris Law.

Bellingham tried to distract his fellow countryman Kane before his penalty…

… turns out, he just said “I know you’re going to the left of the keeper”. 

TalkSports prediction in 2019 of Arsenal’s XI might be the worst we’ve seen.

Milan father teaches his son how to exit the San Siro the right way.

Five years ago Leo Messi scored that free-kick against Liverpool.

Game Face On

Question: Jarrod Bowen’s goal against Liverpool was his 16th in the league for 2023-24, making him the joint-top scorer in a single Premier League campaign for West Ham, equalling whose haul of 16 in 1999-00?

Scroll below for the answer.

On Today

FOOTBALL

Premier League: Chelsea vs Tottenham Hotspur (7:30 BST, Sky Sports Main Event)

Europa League: Marseille vs Atalanta (20:00 BST, TNT Sports)

Europea League: Roma vs Bayer Leverkusen (20:00 BST, TNT Sports) 

Europa Conference League: Aston Villa vs Olympiacos (20:00 BST, TNT Sports)

Europa Conference League: Fiorentina vs Club Brugge (20:00 BST, TNT Sports)

*EST -5. PST -8. CET +1. CST +8. JST +9.

Answer: Paolo Di Canio

“They can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel.”

-Stuart Pearce