Chelsea latest: including Spurs match preview with predicted line ups

Frank Lampard and Ryan Bertrand have both been passed fit for the trip to Tottenham tomorrow lunchtime. Both missed England’s matches with San Marino and Poland over the international break. Daniel Sturridge is still out with his hamstring injury.

John Terry will be serving the first match of his four game ban for racially abusing Anton Ferdinand. Roberto Di Matteo was coy over questions about whether Terry would continue as Chelsea captain, suggesting people would have to wait and see who is given the armband for Chelsea’s match with Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League next week.

Gary Cahill is the man who will replace Terry over the next four games. Chelsea face Manchester United twice in the four games, along with the trips to Spurs and Shakhtar, so Cahill has a chance to establish himself as a man for the big occasion.

Predicted line ups:

Chelsea: Cech, Cole, Cahill, Luiz, Ivanovic, Lampard, Mikel, Oscar, Hazard, Mata, Torres.

Spurs: Lloris, Vertonghen, Gallas, Caulker, Walker, Sandro, Demeble, Bale, Dempsey, Lennon, Adebayor.

Chelsea will be looking to continue their excellent start to the season at White Hart Lane, but it is a ground they have not won at in the last six Premier League seasons.

Central to their hopes will be Eden Hazard, who has praised the quality of Spurs’ Belgian pair Mousa Dembele and Jan Vertonghen. Dembele has himself said recently that Hazard was good enough for any side in the world.

As rumours persist about Daniel Sturridge leaving the club in January, possibly for tomorrow’s opponents Spurs, Demba Ba is the latest striker reported as his replacement. Ba has been in excellent form for Newcastle this year, and could be available for £7.5 million, a far cheaper prospect than the £48 million Falcao.

In other transfer news, Stoke defender Ryan Shawcross has been linked with a move to Chelsea today, though Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are also rumoured to be interested in the player.

Frank Lampard has been fined and given six points for speeding. The midfielder admitted going 84mph in a 50mph zone.

Finally, Andre Villas-Boas has created a talking point ahead of the match tomorrow by suggesting his unbeaten run with Porto, and Arsenal’s invincible run in the Premier League, are both greater achievements than Chelsea’s cup double last year.

images: © Ben Sutherland, © Ronnie Macdonald