Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea aim to continue their unbeaten run as they travel to bottom-of-the-table Southampton on Wednesday night.
The Saints are coming up the rear in the Premier League, but Russell Martin’s side have at least been competitive for much of the season so far. them brought league leaders Liverpool close in their previous home game and were unlucky not to claim all three points at Brighton last time out.
However, the hosts will be without their core for the visit of Chelsea.
Maresca’s Blues he made light work of Aston Villa on Sunday to extend their unbeaten run in all competitions to six games. Chelsea are level on points with Arsenal in third, but Maresca has been quick to dismiss his team’s title aspirations.
Wednesday’s visitors have not tasted defeat in the league since succumbing at Anfield on October 20.
here it is 90 minutes guide to Wednesday night’s Premier League clash.
Southampton vs Chelsea H2H Record (Last Five Matches)
Current form (all competitions)
|
Southampton |
Chelsea |
|---|---|
|
Brighton 1-1 Southampton – 29/11/24 |
Chelsea 3-0 Aston Villa – 01/12/24 |
|
Southampton 2-3 Liverpool – 24/11/24 |
Heidenheim – Chelsea 0-2 – 28/11/24 |
|
Wolves 2-0 Southampton – 09/11/24 |
Leicester 1-2 Chelsea – 23/11/24 |
|
Southampton 1-0 Everton – 02/11/24 |
Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal – 11/10/24 |
|
Southampton 3-2 Stoke – 29/10/24 |
Chelsea 8-0 Noah – 07/11/24 |
|
country |
TV channel/live broadcast |
|---|---|
|
united kingdom |
Amazon Prime Video |
|
united states |
peacock |
|
canada |
fuboTV Canada, Fubo Sports Network 2 Canada |
The Saints are currently in the midst of an availability crisis, one exacerbated by the cautions of Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Flynn Downes and Tyler Dibling against Brighton.
As a result, the trio is suspended for Wednesday’s game.
Lesley Ugochukwu is ineligible to face his parent club he has joined Southampton loaned by the Blues in the summer. Will Smallbone and Adam Lallana will miss out with a thigh injury injurieswhile Joe Lumley is likely to replace Aaron Ramsdale between the sticks after the 29-year-old got the nod against Brighton.
Southampton’s predicted line-up against Chelsea (5-4-1): Lumley; Sugawara, Walker-Peters, Wood, Stephens, Manning; Fraser, Aribo, Mateus Fernandes, Armstrong; archer
Maresca has rotated for Chelsea’s midweek games this season, but the Italian will not make wholesale changes to the team that beat Villa 3-0 on Sunday.
Joao Felix and Noni Madueke are candidates to break into Maresca’s squad after coming off the bench last time out.
Wesley Fofana suffered another injury setback on the weekend and is therefore set at least a month apart. Benoit Badiashile and Tosin Adarabioyo are the main contenders to partner Levi Colwill on Wednesday.
Predicted Chelsea v Southampton line-up (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; Gust, Tosin, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Lavia; Madueke, Palmer, Felix; Jackson.
He won’t want to admit it, but this is a bit of a write-off game for Russell Martin. The Saints are finding it tough enough as it is and will surely be overwhelmed on Wednesday without Harwood-Bellis, Downes and Dibling in the side.
Chelsea they are about to be firing on all cylinders with Maresca in charge, and their gentle run to end the calendar year means the Blues should be determined to get into the title conversation, however briefly.
In short, it’s hard to imagine anything other than a midweek south coast blues cruise.
