An under-fire Chelsea will hope to make amends and secure a much-needed win when they welcome Southampton to Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
Thomas Tuchel’s side have been dealt back to back defeats across all competitions with last weekend’s loss to the defending champions Manchester City being followed up by another narrow defeat in their midweek Champions League game against Juventus.
The Serie A giants edged past Chelsea in a tightly contested affair in what would come as a major blow to the Blues who had started the new season on a high and were unbeaten before coming up second best to Manchester City last time in league action.
With 13 points so far in this domestic campaign, Chelsea remain a formidable force on all fronts despite the recent setbacks as Thomas Tuchel counts upon his players to deliver now that it matters the most when facing Southampton.
The Saints are winless in this new season and were handed a 1-0 defeat by Wolves last time around to add to the misery of Ralph Hasenhuttl’s camp who need to buckle up sooner rather than later to move up the league standings.
Chelsea are the favourites for this one but will need to ensure a return to their very best which was on the show for the start to the 2021-22 campaign after which things have gone haywire for Thomas Tuchel and Co.
WHEN AND WHERE?
Date – 2 October
Time – 2 PM GMT
Venue – Stamford Bridge
TEAM NEWS
Mason Mount’s potential return to the Chelsea fold should be a major boost on the squad selection front for Thomas Tuchel who will have his star midfield man N’Golo Kante sidelined.
Kante tested positive for COVID-19 and missed the Juventus clash with Tuchel confirming that the Frenchman was set to sit out Saturday’s game against the Saints too.
Christian Pulisic and Reece James both remain on the recovery table for the Blues and are certain to be ruled out of the forthcoming fixture.
KEY BATTLE
Romelu Lukaku vs Che Adams
Lukaku, who started his return to life at Stamford Bridge with a bang, has failed to deliver in front of the goal over the last two outings for Chelsea.
The Belgian will be backed to make a strong impression against a Saints backline that has conceded seven goals this season and could struggle to contain a solid-looking forward lineup.
For the visitors to the capital city, it is Che Adams who is likely to bear the brunt of his side’s attacking responsibilities and will be one to watch out for the Chelsea defenders.
PREDICTION
We expect Chelsea to return to winning ways this time around in a break from their recent run of uninspiring form which has left them to taste two defeats in two games.
Chelsea 3-0 Southampton
