Aaron Ashley’s best bets for Tottenham’s meeting with Chelsea include a win for the hosts and an assist for their star midfielder.
Few would have expected Tottenham to be setting the pace at the top of the Premier League after 10 games, but that is the current situation, with Spurs yet to taste defeat with eight wins to their name.
While Ange Postecoglou has taken no time at all to settle in as Tottenham manager, former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino is finding things tougher with new club Chelsea, who have dropped points in seven of their opening 10 matches.
Tougher tests await Spurs but they have beaten Manchester United and Liverpool at home and they could heap more misery on the Blues.
Tottenham v Chelsea tips
Tottenham to win @ 11/10
James Maddison 1+ assist @ 12/5
Pape Sarr +1 shot on target @ 13/8
Spurs keep finding a way
Even when below their best, which was the case in their 2-1 success at Crystal Palace last time out, Tottenham have found a way to win.
That hasn’t been the case for Chelsea. After 10 games, they have won only three times and are already 14 points adrift of Spurs, who came into this weekend’s round of fixtures as the league leaders.
Postecoglou’s hosts have won eight and drawn two of their opening 10 league matches and are a perfect four from four at home, where their list of victims include Manchester United and Liverpool.
They may have been fortuitous against Liverpool, who ended the contest with nine men and scored a 96th-minute own goal from Joel Matip, but their clash with Chelsea is unlikely to be anywhere near as demanding as the Blues continue to struggle with a lengthy list of injuries.
It looked as if Chelsea had turned a corner when they recorded back-to-back away wins at Fulham and Burnley before holding Arsenal to a 2-2 draw.
But normal service was resumed last weekend as they limped to a 2-0 loss at home to Brentford, inconsistencies which could be punished by their red-hot London rivals.
Magician Maddison can repeat the trick
A large part of Tottenham’s success has been the partnership of Heung-min Son and Maddison, who have scored 11 goals and grabbed six assists between them this season.
Maddison has got five of those assists and he has made an effortless transition from Leicester to Tottenham, with his dribbling abilities and excellent vision providing the creative spark Spurs have been missing.
It is, therefore, surprising to see the England international available at 12/5 to pick up another assist given Tottenham are always eager to get him the ball in the opposition’s final third.
Sarr willing to shoot
Maddison and Son are likely to cause plenty of problems for Chelsea’s defence but Pape Matar Sarr is no stranger to shooting and he looks a big price to have an effort on goal.
Sarr’s only goal this season came in the 2-0 win at home to Manchester United but he has 17 shots, eight of which have hit the target. That means he could be overpriced at 13/8 to force a save from Chelsea shot-stopper Robert Sanchez.
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