Chelsea – Southampton : Preview & Prediction
Chelsea’s new era has got off to a rocky start, with manager Graham Potter constantly fielding questions about the risk to his job after recording Chelsea’s worst Premier League (PL) position at this stage of the season since 2015/16. However, feedback from the club indicates that Potter is a long-term project, and with an unbeaten run of four league clashes (G1, E3), there is progress of sorts.
Making signings worth over £300 million work together is a huge task, so patience is required from “Blues” fans. However, that is unlikely to happen in the short term as Chelsea’s preparations for this clash were hampered by a midweek UEFA Champions League defeat to Dortmund (1-0) and an immediate resurgence is now needed after that result as Chelsea aim to cut the eight-point gap to the top five in the table.
There is much more at stake for Southampton, who are fighting for PL survival after a frankly poor, at times bordering on ridiculous, 94-day tenure under Nathan Jones, which left them at the bottom of the table (PL: G1, P7). Recently sacked by Leeds, Jesse Marsch looked set to join during the week, but talks broke down as many awaited the announcement, leaving the Saints without a coach for their trip to the capital.
Whoever eventually arrives to take Jones’ place will need to do a very good job, as the team is currently in a free fall, losing six games since the PL resumed after the World Cup. Working on their defense would be a good start, as Southampton have kept just one clean sheet in their last 28 league games, conceding ten goals in their last five away duels in the PL.
Players to watch: After all the money spent this year, Chelsea’s Mason Mount could be pivotal in this clash if he can maintain his one-goal contribution average in PL clashes against Southampton (four goals, one assist). As for the visitors, Romeo Lavia scored his only professional goal against Chelsea in the 2-1 win in the previous meeting between the two clubs in this league campaign, but is more likely to be shown a card with four yellow cards in 13 PL appearances this season.
Standout Fact: Graham Potter has won just five of his 24 PL games against teams that started the day in the relegation zone (G5, E13, P6).
Chelsea – Southampton : Betting Tips
Chelsea – Win Odds: 1.35
