Chelsea's impressive run of form has fired them up to third in the table and they should gather more momentum when they take on a Southampton side rooted to the foot of the Premier League.
Boss Enzo Maresca has been keen to play down the Blues as contenders for the title but they're just nine points behind leaders Liverpool while Arsenal only remain ahead of them on goal difference.
Sunday's 3-0 thrashing of Aston Villa, which saw Cole Palmer bring up a bet for Slips Tips, certainly underlined the fact Maresca's side will be in the thick of the fight for a top-four slot.
Chelsea probably boast the deepest squad in the league, with Maresca regularly fielding a completely different side in the Europa League this season, and that should help them in what will be a hectic run of December fixtures.
Southampton find themselves four points adrift of safety already and things are looking bleak for Russell Martin's men. But they have improved a little in recent games, playing well in a 3-2 loss to Liverpool before coming from behind to take a point at Brighton.
That will give Saints hope for this one but they've been hit by injuries and suspensions so it's hard to see them avoiding defeat against this slick Chelsea side.
How the bookies view it: Saints don't have a prayer
With Chelsea in red-hot form, they're 3/10 hot favourites with Kwiff for another win. Southampton are 26/5 rank outsiders and even the draw is pretty big at 15/4.
Recent head-to-head: Southampton out to complete a hat-trick
Southampton didn't have much to celebrate in season 2022/23 as they were relegated from the Premier League but they did do the double over Chelsea, with a 2-1 win at St Mary's followed by a 1-0 Stamford Bridge stunner.
Their record in this fixture wasn't great before that, though, with just one win in 15 matches against the Blues.
Players to watch: All-action Jackson
Nicolas Jackson has played a huge part in Chelsea's revival this season, with the striker taking his game to another level. He has scored eight times in 14 appearances and is evens at Kwiff to add to that tally here.
With exciting youngster Dibling banned, Joe Aribo should come in to provide a creative spark. The former Rangers star hasn't impressed since his big-money move in 2022 but is a good finisher and a decent long-odds option at 27/5 for anytime scorer.
Probable line-ups
Stopper Wesley Fofana went off injured in Chelsea's win over Aston Villa and is set to join captain Reece James on the sidelines for this one.
Southampton have three key players suspended after Flynn Downes, Tyler Dibling and Taylor Harwood-Bellis picked up their fifth yellow cards of the term against Brighton.
Paul Onachu is a doubt while Adam Lallana, Jan Bednarek, Aaron Ramsdale, Will Smallbone, Ross Stewart and Gavin Bazunu look set to miss out again.
Chelsea: Sanchez, Gusto, Badiashille, Colwill, Cucurella, Caicedo, Fernandez, Palmer, Neto, Madueke, Jackson.
Southampton: Lumley, Walker-Peters, Manning, Stephens, Edwards, Sulemana, Fernandes, Fraser, Aribo, Armstrong, Archer.
Anything else catch the eye?
With so many of their top performers ruled out, Southampton are up against it here so I like the 7/4 on offer at Bet365 for Chelsea to win both halves.
Southampton conceded three times at home to both Manchester United and Liverpool so Maresca's star-studded attack should get a bit of joy. Backing over 2.5 Chelsea goals here 24/25 at Kwiff which looks a fair enough price.
Saints also lost 7-0 and 10-3 in the corner count in those two games so it could pay to back Chelsea at -3 in the corner handicap, which pays a decent 11/10 with Bet365.
This English Premier League match between Southampton and Chelsea will be played on Dec 4, 2024 and kick off at 19:30. Check below for our tipsters best Southampton vs Chelsea prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
