Southampton vs Chelsea
England Premier League.
Date: Sunday, 30th October, 2016
Kick-off: 16:00 UK.
Venue: St. Mary’s Park, Southampton.
Southampton host Chelsea in the Premier League this weekend.
The Saints are in very good form right now and will look to halt Antonio Conte‘s in-form Chelsea side. The home team are unbeaten in their last five Premier League games and have defended exceptionally well in their last few matches. Claude Puel‘s side are very well organised and will be hard to break down. They have done quite well at home, and are undefeated in their last nine games.
Southampton held on to secure a 1-1 draw in their last outing against Manchester City and will be happy with a similar result against the Blues this weekend. They are unbeaten in three of their last four meetings against the London giants and will fancy their chances here.
Shane Long sustained a thigh injury during the 1-0 defeat against Inter and is likely to miss out. Florin Gardos, Jeremy Pied and Cedric Soares are all ruled out for the home side. Youngster Sam McQueen could feature at left-back, with Matt Targett and Ryan Bertrand both struggling with fitness issues.
Predicted Southampton Starting Lineup (4-3-1-2): Forster; Martina, Fonte, Dijk, McQueen; Clasie, Romeu, Davis; Tadic; Redmond, Austin
Chelsea Team News & Preview
Chelsea crashed out of the EFL Cup with a 2-1 defeat against West Ham United last night.
The Blues decided to rotate heavily and paid the price for that. Conte‘s men will be desperate to bounce back from the disappointment with a big win in the Premier League.
However, Saints are no pushovers and are likely to give Chelsea a run for their money. Furthermore, Chelsea have not done too well against them in the recent past and will need to improve in order to secure the three points here.
Chelsea will be without the services of Kurt Zouma, Cesc Fabregas and Branislav Ivanovic due to injuries.
Predicted Chelsea Starting Lineup (3-4-3): Courtois; Cahill, Luiz, Terry; Azpilicueta, Matic, Kante, Alonso; Hazard, Costa, Willian
Key Player & Facts
Southampton currently maintains 5 straight win I their last 5 games played at home. However, the saints have managed just 2 wins in their last 5 games in all competition, and have lost just once in their last competitive games. Southampton has 2 wins, and 2 draws in their first 4 home league games.
Chelsea currently enjoys 3 straight win in their last 3 league games. However, the blue lost their 2 game in 5 games during their mid-week clash with West Ham. Chelsea have 2 wins in their first 4 away league games, won 2, lost 1, and drew 1.
Southampton vs Chelsea: Head to Head Stats
Both sides shared the spoil in their 2 legged encounters last season. However, the blues enjoyed a 2-1 win in their last season defeat to the saints Mary stadium.
Moreover, in the last 10 league meeting between this 2 sides, Chelsea has 5 wins compared to Southampton 2. The blues have won 3 times in their last 5 league visit to Southampton
Southampton vs Chelsea: Prediction
Southampton will be going into this clash on the back of 5 league games unbeaten run. The Saints will however be weary of Chelsea’s recent scoring prowess. The Blues netted 9 goals without reply in their last three Premier League games. Just an early indication that home advantage don’t really work for Southampton in this fixture.
Taking on account of Chelsea’s three match unbeaten run at the St. Andrews coupled with their current form, the Blues must edge this one. However, this will be a cagey affair as both teams are coming on the back of some positive results in recent league games.
Southampton vs Chelsea: Betting Tips
Both Teams to Score and Chelsea to win at 15/4 (4.75)
Over 2.5 goals at 12/11 (2.05).
