Seven years ago, London rivals Chelsea and Tottenham met at Wembley. The occasion was the 2008 Capital One Cup Final, which ended as a 2-1 win for Spurs after Jonathan Woodgate's extra-time goal was enough to give his squad their first trophy in nine years. Today, only four members of that Chelsea squad remain: captain and defensive stalwart John Terry, veteran striker and goalkeeper Didier Drogba and Petr Cech, and midfielder John Obi Mikel.
For Tottenham, hero Woodgate is no longer with the side, and in fact, had Aaron Lennon not been sent out on loan to Everton recently, he would have been the only member of his side to have taken part in that match back on February 24, 2008.
Certainly, quite a bit has changed since then. Whilst Tottenham were viewed as the underdogs that day, they have certainly shown Blues fans that they have plenty to offer, as shown in their 5-3 defeat of Jose Mourinho's men on New Years' Day--which was the first time all season that they have conceded a whopping five goals in one game.
In terms of personnel, of concern for Mourinho will be the absence of Nemanja Matic due to suspension. The Serbian international, who has been a revelation in his second spell at Stamford Bridge, was handed a three-match ban (later reduced to two) after mixing it up with Burnley's Ashley Barnes following a nasty tackle from Barnes that went unpunished by the referee during the two sides' 1-1 draw. And Mourinho will not be able to call Mikel into action as the Nigerian international is still recovering from injury.
Meanwhile, Mauricio Pochettino's troops are still smarting from their Europa League defeat at the hands of Fiorentina, but fortunately, they have a full strength squad as they would certainly like to again hand defeat to their cross-town rivals. Striker Harry Kane has been in brilliant form for his side and grabbed himself a brace in that eight-goal thriller back in January, so expect him to be given some special attention by the Blues' back-line, given that he has netted three out of his 24 goals in all competitions in this tournament.
For Mourinho, this trophy will represent some significance as it just so happens to be the very first piece of silverware he clinched during his first stint in London, back in 2005 when they defeated Liverpool 3-2. It will also be quite special for Terry, who was also the skipper on that day, and as such has experienced both the highs of victory as well as the nadirs of defeat. And, for Pochettino, this not only would be his first ever trophy in English football but would be the first prize for Spurs since they won this very same competition on the same ground seven years prior.
With the rich history and rivalry between these two sides, will it be Chelsea getting revenge on Tottenham seven years later at Wembley? Or will Spurs again taste victory against the Blues for the second time in two months and see history repeat itself?
Tune in to find out!
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Chelsea vs Tottenham team sheets
Chelsea's lineup: Cech; Ivanovic, Zouma, Terry (c), Azpilicueta; Ramires, Cahill, Fabregas; Willian, Diego Costa, Hazard.
Tottenham's lineup: Lloris (c), Walker, Dier, Vertonghen, Rose; Bentaleb, Mason; Chadli, Eriksen, Townsend; Kane
Chelsea's bench: Courtois, Filipe Luis, Ake, Oscar, Cuadrado, Drogba and Remy
Tottenham's bench: Vorm, Davies, Fazio, Dembele, Stambouli, Lamela, Soldado
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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