Preamble
In the first instalment of this semi-final, Spurs beat Chelsea 1-0 thanks to a hotly-debated penalty by Harry Kane. But since then Kane and most of the rest of Spurs’ strike force been rendered unavailable, jeopardising the north Londoners’ hopes for the season at a critical point. Holding on to their first leg lead today, or even increasing it, would do them a power of good, even if the final, against Manchester City, would mean that a team that is being stretched close to breaking point would have another fixture to contend with.
Chelsea also have problems. They failed to sign Gonzalo Higuain in time for this match so Maurizio Sarri will have to rely on strikers that he evidently does not believe to be adequate, or else deploy Eden Hazard in a role that the Belgian does not particularly enjoy. Chelsea have failed to score in three of their last five matches. With the manager’s tactics and personnel selections increasingly contested, Sarri increased the pressure on himself this week by publicly bemoaning his players’ attitudes. How will they respond today?
One of these teams will feel much better about themselves after this clash, and one will feel worse. And one of these managers will leave Stamford Bridge today knowing that he’ll be taking his team to a cup final against Manchester City next month, and what a thrill that would be for Mauricio Pochettino, whose trophy cabinet is bare, or Sarri, whose career honours so far consist of an Employee of the Week rosette from the Banca Monte deli Paschi di Siena.
Updated