The EFL Cup semifinal second leg between Chelsea and Tottenham is set for Thursday, and the winner moves on to the final to face Manchester City, who clinched on Wednesday. Spurs lead the tie 1-0 after winning the first leg, but the club is without the injured Harry Kane for this showdown. Tottenham is also without fellow striker Heung-Min Son, who is with the South Korea national team at the Asian Cup, while the Blues cannot play Gonzalo Higuain. After he joined on Wednesday from Juventus on loan, he wasn't signed in time to make the list for this game, pushing his delay to the weekend.
Here's how you can watch the match and what to know:
EFL Cup: Chelsea vs. Spurs
- Date: Thursday, Jan. 24
- Time: 2:45 p.m. ET
- Location: Stamford Bridge in London
- TV channel: None
- Streaming: ESPN+
- Odds: N/A
Storylines
Chelsea: The Blues have had very little in the final third when it comes to strikers lately, but the team went out and landed Gonzalo Higuain as a transfer this week. Meanwhile, Alvaro Morata looks like he's on the way out, and Eden Hazard has been playing as the No. 9. In three of the last five games, the Blues haven't scored a goal. In this one, the team is forced to score or it will crash out. Who's going to step up?
Spurs: Who is going to be the guy in attack to deliver with Kane and Son out? The role will likely fall to Fernando Llorente, but all he did last weekend was score an own goal against Fulham. He's 33, lost a step and is no longer the star striker that earned him a move from Athletic Bilbao to Juventus. He's going to need to make a big impact, or Spurs are probably crashing out.
Chelsea vs. Spurs prediction
The lack of a true striker hurts Spurs, as Chelsea scores once in both halves to move to the final.
Pick: Chelsea
For news, stories, results and more, follow us:
