Chelsea could recall Romelu Lukaku for their EFL Cup semi-final first-leg against Tottenham on Wednesday, when former Blues boss Antonio Conte will make what he says will be an “emotional” return to Stamford Bridge.
Back to the Bridge for Conte
Conte won the Premier League and FA Cup while in charge of Chelsea between 2016 and 2018 but will be back at the club as an opposition manager for the first time when he takes Spurs to west London for the first leg of the last four showdown.
“I spent two amazing seasons, I created a lot of friendships at the club,” Conte said ahead of the tie.
“I thank Chelsea because they gave me the possibility to work in England. It’ll be good and for sure I’ll have emotion to come back to Stamford Bridge.”
Controversial Lukaku in Contention
Conte’s side could come up against Lukaku, who has apologised for comments he made in a recent interview with Italian media when he said he was unhappy at Chelsea.
The striker was dropped for last weekend’s 2-2 Premier League draw with Liverpool but Thomas Tuchel has confirmed he’s back in contention for the Spurs clash following clear-the-air talks.
If he does start, the Belgian will be keen to reaffirm his commitment to the Chelsea fans, and he’s available at a tempting 17/10 to score anytime.
Trevoh Chalobah is injured for the home side, however, and fellow-centre back Andreas Christensen remains a doubt, but striker Timo Werner has returned to training and is expected to be on the bench.
Spurs will be without Cristian Romero and Ryan Sessegnon, who have hamstring injuries, and Steven Bergwijn, who has a calf problem, as they go in search of a positive first-leg result to take back to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the return game, which is scheduled for next Wednesday.
Spurs Improving Under Conte
Conte has done a good job since taking charge of Tottenham, guiding them past West Ham in the quarter-final, while he has steered them up to sixth in the league, just two points adrift of fourth place with two games in hand.
Chelsea, who beat Brentford in the previous round 2-0, are unbeaten in their last eight games in all competitions, although five of those have been draws.
This tie looks difficult to call and first legs are often cagey affairs as both teams know they have the second game to fall back on if things go wrong.
The draw at 13/5 looks tempting, while under 2.5 goals on the night also appeals at 20/27.
Spurs have only conceded two goals in their last four games as Conte has tightened them up considerably at the back and they will be determined to frustrate their London rivals.
*All odds correct at time of writing.