England Premier League
Thursday 26th December 2019
Kick off at 3pm GMT
Venue: Stamford Bridge
Match Preview:
Chelsea surprised everyone at the weekend when they comfortably beat Tottenham and inflicted Jose Mourinho’s first home loss since he took over. The surprise was in the fact that on form Chelsea had been one of the poorest clubs in the league losing 4 of their last 5 games. But the win over Tottenham was a real statement that the club are not going to give up 4th place that easy.
The victory over Spurs was impressive with the match ending 2-0 but Chelsea were good for their win and dominated play and had many chances on goal. The Blues remain in 4th place and are 4 points clear of Sheffield United in 5th but 6 points behind Manchester City in 3rd.
At home the Blues could have a better record as they have picked up 14 points from a possible 27 and have lost 2 of their last three games here.
Southampton in general have been a better team since getting destroyed 9-0 by Leicester a month ago. They have still faced losses but have also won 3 other matches in that time. The Saints beat Aston Villa 3-1 away last weekend and their overall away form is decent for them with 3 wins from 9 games, and they have recently gone to Arsenal and forced a 2-2 draw.
Southampton are just above the relegation zone in 17th place and have a 3 point safety gap. But a win could move the club up 3-4 places.
Team News:
Chelsea: Cesar Azpilicueta has pulled his hamstring but it isn’t thought to be serious and he could face a late fitness test. Mateo Kovacic is suspended for this game after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season.
Southampton: Kevin Danso could return after missing the last game through illness. Yann Valery has a viral infection and is out until January
Chelsea vs Southampton Head to Head:
Last season this fixture ended 0-0 but when the teams played at Southampton earlier this season Chelsea won 4-1.
Southampton have no wins against Chelsea since 2015 but that victory was at Stamford Bridge.
There is a 60% chance to see over 2.5 goals.
Chelsea vs Southampton Prediction:
Have Chelsea recovered from their sluggish form? Surely beating Tottenham away has done the club the world of good and they should be able to beat Southampton at home. We think they can but this won’t be without a struggle. We could see Southampton getting on the score sheet and Danny Ings has been in brilliant form and will fancy himself to score. Chelsea have plenty of players to hurt the Saints and we think they will dominate the game the longer it goes on. More open in the first half and more professional in the second and that is what we expect to see here a professional and solid win for Frank Lampard’s side.
Chelsea vs Southampton Betting Tips:
Both teams to score at 1.72
Anytime goalscorer: Danny Ings at 2.70
Correct Score: Chelsea to win 2-1 or 3-1 at 8.00 and 10.00
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