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Spurs closing in
There is more than an FA Cup final place at stake this weekend when Chelsea and Tottenham lock horns at Wembley as the outcome could have a huge impact on the Premier League title race.
The winners of the first semi-final on Saturday could gain a crucial psychological edge in the final six games of the Premier League title run-in.
Tottenham closed the gap on leaders Chelsea to four points as they swept aside Bournemouth before Chelsea suffered a 2-0 defeat to Manchester United to blow the title race wide open again.
The defeat at Old Trafford was Chelsea’s second in their last three games to see the doubts creep in and defeat to title challengers in the FA Cup will really set the alarm bells ringing for Antonio Conte’s men.
Both teams are still battling for the Double, but one these two bitter rivals will see those dreams ended on Saturday at Wembley and the damaging effects it could have on the losing team could prove critical in the outcome of the Premier League title.
Tottenham currently have the momentum having won their last seven Premier League games and victory over Chelsea in the FA Cup would provide a massive fillip for Mauricio Pochettino’s troops at the business end of the campaign.
The honours have been even in the two Premier League meetings this season and there is probably more riding on the FA Cup game for Chelsea after their recent wobble in the league as they will be desperate not to give Tottenham any hope that their mini wobble is anything worse than that and that they can be caught in the race for the title.
Chelsea’s lead at the top of the table in the middle of March stood at 13 points, but Tottenham have been relentless in their pursuit of the leaders and a morale-boosting win in the FA Cup over Chelsea could propel them to an unlikely title success.
Experience an advantage, but Spurs are learning
Chelsea have the edge in experience over Tottenham in title races having won the championship as recently as 2014/15, but Tottenham are sure to have learnt valuable lessons from last season’s run-in against Leicester when they slipped out of contention in the final four games of the season.
Spurs saw their own title dreams ended last season following a draw with Chelsea so they know any edge they can gain over their rivals could trigger a possible collapse from Chelsea.
There is certainly no love lost between both sides in the wake of last season’s bitter battle at Stamford Bridge and this could prove to an intense rivalry in the making with both clubs now battling each other for the top prizes on offer in England.
Chelsea and Tottenham are currently the two best teams in the country and something has to give at Wembley.
Chelsea have enjoyed unprecedented success at home and abroad since Roman Abramovich bought the club, but Tottenham’s rapid progress in recent seasons has seen them close the gap on the Blues and all signs point to their rivalry moving to the next level.
The title is still in Chelsea’s hands as they would need to drop further points to allow Tottenham to catch them, but we have all seen sides with commanding positions at the top table come unstuck when the going gets tough.
All the scrutiny and pressure of the title race will switch straight onto the losers of the Wembley showdown and the eventual Premier League champions could be decided what happens this weekend.
Defeat for either side this weekend will not cost them crucial points in the title race, but psychologically it could prove the turning point on the eventual destination of the Premier League title.
