Chelsea are desperate to end a run of poor results as they host Southampton in a Premier League fixture on Saturday.
Chelsea are now winless in their last four matches across all competitions after suffering a 1-0 defeat to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League. It was a follow-up to the 1-1 draw at West Ham in their previous Premier League fixture.
The Blues will be keen to move on from the Champions League defeat and focus more on the performance at West Ham. There were a few positive signs to build on, particularly the understanding between Enzo Fernandez and Joao Felix.
If Chelsea are to get their campaign back on track, there are positives to build on, particularly at Stamford Bridge. Graham Potter’s men have kept clean sheets in three of their last four home matches, with wins over Bournemouth and Crystal Palace among their results in that run.
Things are looking increasingly bleak for Southampton as the season progresses, with just one Premier League win since October. They are slowly being cut adrift at the bottom of the table and are now four points from safety.
Southampton suffered a 2-1 home defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers in their previous fixture which led to the sacking of manager Nathan Jones. Although former Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch has been heavily linked to the job, they are likely to be without a gaffer on Saturday.
The defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers was the ninth in 10 Premier League matches for Southampton. The Saints have also lost four of their last five away matches and were beaten 3-0 by Brentford in their previous fixture on the road.
How the bookies view it
Chelsea are considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies with a home win priced at 2/5 by SBK. A victory for Southampton is valued at 8/1 with Paddy Power while a draw is set at odds of 19/5 by Unibet.
Head to head
Chelsea have a 40-21 advantage with 21 draws from 82 previous matches with Southampton. However, the Saints have been a bogey team for Chelsea lately and claimed a 2-1 victory in the reverse fixture in August.
Players to watch
The one shining light for Chelsea in recent times has been their defence which has kept clean sheets in three of the last four home matches. Thiago Silva continues to bring his vast experience at centre-back and can guide the Blues to another clean sheet at 5/6 with Coral.
At the other end of the pitch, Joao Felix looked lively at West Ham and netted his first goal for Chelsea. The Portuguese forward could be worth keeping an eye on to find the net once again at 2/1 with Unibet.
Anything else catch the eye?
With Chelsea looking solid defensively at home and Southampton struggling for goals, a win to nil for the hosts could be considered at 11/10 with Paddy Power. Southampton have conceded two or more goals in three of their last four away matches, so the Blues can be backed in the -2 handicap market at 11/10 with bet365.
Given the way Southampton have shipped in goals on their recent travels, Chelsea could be backed to score in both halves at 5/4 with BoyleSports.
This English Premier League match between Chelsea and Southampton will be played on and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Chelsea vs Southampton prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
Chelsea vs Southampton Betting Tips & Predictions
Further Reading
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