Chelsea vs Southampton 03/01/19

03 January 2019

After securing a narrow 1-0 road win over Crystal Palace, Chelsea will welcome Southampton to Stamford Bridge trying to extend a seven-game winning run against the vulnerable visitors.

Having assured back-to-back road Premier League victories, the Blues are now looking to return to winning ways at home following a disappointing 1-0 loss to Leicester City last time out. If Chelsea were to win in this encounter, it would probably be with a comfortable 2-goal margin considering five of their six home wins saw them leaving their opponents two goals behind. However, goals have been in short supply in their last four home outings, with each producing under 2.5 goals. What’s more, before losing to Leicester, the Pensioners have kept a clean sheet in three consecutive matches at Stamford Bridge although Maurizio Sarri’s men failed to hit the back of the net twice in the previous four home clashes.

Unlike Chelsea, the visitors look to end a two-game losing run as they come into this meeting after last weekend’s 3-1 home defeat to Manchester City. It has been Ralph Hasenhuttl’s third loss since taking charge although he managed to wrap up two out of Southampton’s three triumphs this campaign, beating Arsenal and Huddersfield Town in the run. Still, the Saints’ road form (W2, D1, L7) could be a potential problem for former RB Leipzig boss as Southampton suffered a failure on four consecutive road trips before clinching a 3-1 win over Terriers. Furthermore, only two teams have conceded more goals away from home than Southampton (21) this season, with Saints keeping a clean sheet in just two out of ten road encounters so far.

Provisional line-up – Chelsea:

Gk: Arriazabalaga Defense: Alonso – David Luiz – Rudiger – Azpilicueta Midfield: Kovacic- Jorginho – Kante Attack: Eden Hazard – Willian – Morata

Provisional line-up – Southampton:

Gk: McCarthy Defense: Yoshida – Vestergaard – Bednarek – Targett – Valery Midfield: Romeu – Lemina – Armstrong Attack: Redmond – Ings