Chelsea will be eager to snap a rare two-game losing streak when they face Southampton at St. Mary’s in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.
Following a shock 4-1 defeat to Brentford last weekend, the Blues sit third in the table – five points clear of fourth-place Tottenham Hotspur.
Four in a big win St Mary's in #SouChe. 🤝 pic.twitter.com/2v5P3nszt1— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) April 8, 2022
Four in a big win St Mary's in #SouChe. 🤝 pic.twitter.com/2v5P3nszt1
On the flip side, Southampton find themselves in twelfth place – 23 points behind Thomas Tuchel’s team.
Between early December and late February, Southampton suffered just two defeats in 13 Premier League games – picking up five wins and six draws along the way.
However, it’s fair to say that Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men have taken a turn for the worse over the past month.
Prior to the international break, Saints suffered three straight defeats before drawing 1-1 with Leeds after the play-off.
It is also worth noting that only seven teams in the Premier League have conceded more goals than Southampton this season.
Meanwhile, Chelsea were beaten 3-1 by Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge in the first league of their Champions League quarter-final tie.
That means the Blues head into Saturday’s clash on a two-game losing run, having suffered a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Brentford last weekend.
Still, it is worth pointing out that Chelsea have lost just four of their 29 Premier League encounters this season. Pretty impressive, right?
It is also worth noting that Chelsea have only suffered four defeats in their previous 41 matches across all competitions.
Head-to-head: Southampton have only managed to win one of their previous 14 meetings with Chelsea across all competitions.
The two sides have already faced each other twice this season. Chelsea beat Saints 3-1 in the Premier League before knocking them out of the EFL Cup.
Team news: Chelsea loanee Armando Broja is unable to face his parent club on Saturday. Lyanco will also miss the game through injury.
The Blues are still without long-term injury absentee Ben Chilwell, while Callum Hudson-Odoi is also a doubt for Saturday’s clash.
There is no hiding the fact that Chelsea heads to the south coast on the back of two heavy defeats. That said, Tuchel’s men have more than enough quality to beat Saints.
Forebet predicts that Chelsea will score over 2.5 goals on their way to beating Southampton.