Tottenham take on Chelsea at Wembley tomorrow afternoon to contest the first piece of silverware of the 2014-15 season – the Capital One Cup final.
It is sure to be a special occasion, with both teams desperate to put a marker down for the remainder of the season – and break the hearts of a major rival in the process.
The last time the two sides met it was all about Harry Kane, as Tottenham ran out 5-3 winners on New Years Day at White Hart Lane.
Chelsea will be quick to point out they comfortably disposed of Tottenham 3-0 at Stamford Bridge back in early December, but Mauricio Pochettino’s side appear to have found a new lease of life since then – moving to within three points of the top four with Kane scoring for fun.
Tottenham’s improvement over the past two months has made the task of coming up with the Transfer Tavern’s combined Chelsea and Tottenham XI that bit harder. What changes would you make?
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Click on Jose Mourinho to reveal the Transfer Tavern’s combined Chelsea & Tottenham XI
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Hugo Lloris
Jose Mourinho has a tough enough time choosing between Thibaut Courtois and Petr Cech – so we are not going to attempt it and instead have opted to put Hugo Lloris between the sticks!
His place is valid however, with the Frenchman having established himself as one of the Premier League’s best goalkeepers since his arrival from Lyon.
France and Tottenham captain Lloris is a natural leader with tremendous ability and distribution. He will need to be at his very best tomorrow if Tottenham are to lift the season’s first silverware.
Ivanovic, Terry, Vertonghen, Azpilicueta
Chelsea have been relying heavily on goals from Branislav Ivanovic in recent weeks, including the header which got them to the final after extra time against Liverpool. His importance has been firmly underlined in recent weeks, not only as a top class defender but as a threat going forward.
John Terry seems to be getting better with age, and this season has been forced to bail out Gary Cahill more than he should have done. The England vice-captain is struggling for form, and is battling for a start tomorrow with French youngster Kurt Zouma.
Jan Vertonghen had an evening to forget in Florence on Thursday, making the mistake that allowed former Chelsea winger Mohamed Salah to double Fiorentina’s lead. But when the Belgian is at his best, he is worthy of a place alongisde Terry.
Azpilicueta and Felipe Luis continue to battle for the starting left back spot, with the Spaniard getting the nod simply as he has more experience of English football at this moment than Chelsea’s summer signing from Atletico Madrid.
Matic
Hazard Eriksen
Fabregas
Chelsea will be without the man widely considered the best defensive midfielder in the country tomorrow, after Nemanja Matic picked up a controversial red card to Burnley last time out.
What impact that will have remains to be seen, but Chelsea’s record with and without the Serbian midfielder speaks volumes.
Both sides boast some of the most exciting creative talent in Europe in their respective sides, with Eden Hazard’s quality there for all to see. There is a genuine feeling around Stamford Bridge that the Belgian will develop into one of the world’s best players.
23-year-old Christian Eriksen continues to progress at Tottenham, and has reached double figures in both goals and assists this term. His double against Sheffield United in the semi final secured Tottenham’s passage to Wembley, whilst his threat from set pieces could prove crucial in deciding where the trophy ends up.
Cesc Fabregas has been a revelation since his return to England, providing the most assists in the Premier League. There is nobody better suited to playing that role at the tip of a midfield diamond than the Spaniard.
Costa, Kane
With more than 40 goals between them this season, tomorrow will see two of the countries leading strikers going head to head at Wembley.
Harry Kane is the Premier League’s top marksman in all competitions, with 24 goals to his name already this season. All eyes will be on the soon to be England man, who scored twice and gave Gary Cahill nightmares during Tottenham’s 5-3 win over the Blues on New Years Day.
Diego Costa is fresh from a three game ban, and will certainly be fired up for a derby showpiece final. The Spaniard has scored 17 goals in his debut season at Chelsea so far, one of which came during that 5-3 defeat. If he can keep a lid on his temper, Costa has all the attributes to be tomorrow’s match winner.
