Both Chelsea and Southampton have struggled so far this season, but as things stand, it's the Saints looking a bit better off than the Blues. As such, with Jose Mourinho's men devoid of confidence due to poor showings domestically and in Europe, this could represent the perfect chance for Ronald Koeman's squad to earn a much-needed away win.
Chelsea
Just when things appeared to be picking up for Chelsea, the reigning Premier League champions stumbled yet again. They were uncomfortably close to losing to struggling Newcastle United and followed up that fortunate draw with a loss to Porto in the Champions League midweek. With just eight points from their first seven games, alarm bells have began screaming around Stamford Bridge, and despite Mourinho's public unwillingness to admit it, pressure is mounting on him.
Even more disconcerting than their fourteenth-placed standing are the growing reports that the Portuguese tactician has turned on his own squad, and some of his tactical choices are reflective of that. For instance, iconic skipper John Terry has come off the bench in four out of the team's last five matches (across all competitions). Given that the veteran played every single minute in the team's title-winning campaign last season, this has naturally raised some eyebrows, especially how his strong understanding with Gary Cahill formed the backbone of the team's strong defense.
Meanwhile this season, they have already conceded 14 goals - an exact average of two per game - and other players, namely Branislav Ivanovic and to some extent Cesc Fabregas, Eden Hazard, and Nemanja Matic have all been shadows of their former selves. And top goalscorer Diego Costa, who will sit this game out due to suspension has yet to really get up and running, with his combative attitude and lack of goals causing some serious concern for supporters.
Although Mourinho has never lost to Southampton in his career, with four wins and two draws, Blues fans will still be wary as Chelsea prepare to welcome the Saints to Stamford Bridge, but with the exception of Thibaut Courtois and the banned Costa, he will have pretty much a full strength line-up at his disposal.
Southampton
Koeman's men experienced a rough start to the 2015/2016 Premier League campaign and currently have just two wins: a 3-0 result against Norwich and last week's 3-1 victory versus Swansea City. Although their away form has been poor, with just one win in their last ten road games, Koeman will be hoping that the recent uptick in form of attacking trio Graziano Pelle, Saido Mane, and Dusan Tadic - who have netted eight between them so far - will continue as they seek their first win at Stamford Bridge since January 1, 2002. The visitors will certainly aspire to snatch at least one point from this fixture, given that last season, both of these matches concluded as 1-1 stalemates.
In terms of personnel, the Dutch coach will have to make do without Ryan Bertrand and likely Jordy Clasie, who despite returning to full fitness will at the most earn a spot on the bench. Nonetheless, despite Chelsea's poor form, the odds of an outright win for Southampton do not look good if stats are anything to go by as out of their past 13 visits to Stamford Bridge, the Saints have only departed with all three points in hand once.
Given their respective struggles, both sides will be hoping to head into the international break with a vital win. Will the Saints keep on marching on and heap more misery on the Blues? Or will Chelsea rebound after their disappointing European result in midweek?
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Team sheets for Chelsea vs Southampton
Chelsea's Starting Lineup:Begovic; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry (c), Azpilicueta; Ramires, Fabregas; Willian, Oscar, Hazard; Falcao.
Southampton's Starting Lineup: Stekelenburg, Cédric, Fonte (c), van Dijk, Bertrand, Romeu, Wanyama, S. Davis, Tadić, Mané, Pellè.
Chelsea's subs:Blackman, Zouma, Baba, Matic, Loftus-Cheek, Pedro, Remy.
Southampton's subs: Davis, Yoshida, Long, Rodriguez, Martina, Ward-Prowse, Juanmi.
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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