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The Premier League needs Tottenham to beat Chelsea on Wednesday, says Ray Wilkins

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Ray Wilkins told Goals on Sunday that Tottenham have to beat Chelsea for the sake of the Premier League title race

The Premier League needs Tottenham to beat Chelsea on Wednesday to keep the title race open, says former Blues midfielder Ray Wilkins.

Antonio Conte's men have been in stunning form recently, matching Arsenal's top flight record for the longest run of consecutive league victories in a single season with their 4-2 win over Stoke on New Year's Eve.

They can set a new benchmark of 14 victories in a row when they face Spurs live on Sky Sports on Wednesday, but former player and coach Wilkins thinks for the sake of the league, Spurs need to beat the Blues.

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Chelsea 4-2 Stoke

"As far as the Premier League is concerned and I'm a Chelsea fan, but we need Tottenham to beat Chelsea to keep it alive because at the moment, they are absolutely outstanding," he told Goals on Sunday.

"When you have the ball, that is when they are at their most dangerous because as soon as you lose it, the pace they have in Willian is superb. Eden Hazard is playing out of his skin again and with the animal up front in Diego Costa, he is a real throwback.

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"He is brutal when he gets a hold of the centre-halves. Ryan Shawcross and Bruno Martins Indi couldn't cope with him yesterday because he is so strong and powerful. He's not the greatest technician, but my word he is so strong.The pace on the counter-attack is quite scary."

But the Premier League Live regular did have praise for Stoke - who have also come up against an in-form Liverpool in recent weeks - but says they need to improve defensively.

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Diego Costa celebrates scoring Chelsea's fourth goal in a 4-2 win at Stamford Bridge
Image: Diego Costa is an 'animal up front' says Ray Wilkins

"I was quite impressed with Stoke. I was impressed with them at Anfield when they went there, and they took the game away from Liverpool to make it very difficult for them," Wilkins added.

"They did exactly the same at Stamford Bridge yesterday and I thought they were playing some really good stuff. Mark has got a good team there but unfortunately they keep kicking themselves in the foot with the defending they have from set-plays and general play. They are killing themselves."

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