Chelsea will aim to continue the fantastic start to the 2024/25 season when they take on Southampton at St. Mary’s on Wednesday.
Gameweek 14 of the 2024/25 Premier League season will continue on Wednesday, which will be an action-packed day. Arsenal vs Manchester United will be the marquee fixture, but Chelsea will look to continue an excellent run of form when they lock horns with Southampton at St. Mary’s.
Southampton must turn things around quickly to live to fight another day in the Premier League. However, the Saints have barely made their mark this season, even though they have lost only two of their last four top-flight games. Russell Martin’s men managed only one point in their opening nine fixtures, with that run of form condemning them to the foot of the table, four points behind 17th-placed Crystal Palace.
As for Chelsea, Enzo Maresca could not have asked for a better start to life with the West London outfit, considering the instability at the club. The Italian tactician has taken his team to third on the table, level on points with second-placed Arsenal. The Blues have also been on a roll in Europe, and they will be the favourites to win the UEFA Europa Conference League title this term.
Southampton came from a goal down to beat Chelsea 2-1 the last time they hosted the Blues in the Premier League. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Southampton
Russell Martin has several new roster issues hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Southampton manager might be bereft of the services of as many as 11 first-team players on Wednesday.
Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Flynn Downes, and Tyler Dibling will serve one-match suspensions after picking up their fifth bookings of the 2024/25 Premier League season. Meanwhile, Lesley Ugochukwu is ineligible to take on his parent club.
Jan Bednarek (knee) and Paul Onuachu (knock) are closing in on returning to action, but they might not be fit enough to start on Wednesday. However, Aaron Ramsdale (finger), Gavin Bazunu (achilles), Ross Stewart (muscle injury), Will Smallbone (hamstring), and Adam Lallana (thigh) remain on the sidelines.
Joe Lumley should take his place between the sticks, with Southampton lining up in a 5-4-1 formation in front of him vs Chelsea on Wednesday. The backline should feature Yukinari Sugawara, Kyle Walker-Peters, Nathan Wood, Jack Stephens, and Ryan Manning.
As for the midfield unit, Joe Aribo and Mateus Fernandes should pair up in the central areas, looking to keep things tight in the middle of the park and provide the creative impetus. Ryan Fraser and Adam Armstrong should be the two wide attackers, with Cameron Archer leading the line for Southampton against Chelsea.
Probable Lineup (5-4-1): Lumley; Sugawara, Walker-Peters, Wood, Stephens, Manning; Fraser, Aribo, Mateus Fernandes, Armstrong; Archer
Chelsea
Like his counterpart in the Southampton dugout, Enzo Maresca has a new concern to worry about ahead of the trip to St. Mary’s. The Chelsea manager will be without three first-team players on Wednesday.
Wesley Fofana is the latest absentee, with the Frenchman picking up a hamstring injury this past weekend against Aston Villa. Reece James and Omari Kellyman are the other absentees, and the duo is recovering from similar issues.
Robert Sanchez will take his spot between the sticks, with Chelsea lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Southampton on Wednesday. The backline should feature Malo Gusto, Benoit Badiashile, Levi Colwill, and Marc Cucurella, with Badiashile replacing Fofana at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, the resurgent Enzo Fernandez should line up alongside Moises Caicedo in the double pivot. Cole Palmer will reprise the no. 10 role and pull the strings in the final third. Nicolas Jackson will spearhead the Chelsea attack against Southampton on Wednesday, with Noni Madueke and Pedro Neto being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; Gusto, Badiashile, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez; Madueke, Palmer, Neto; Jackson
Key Stats
- Southampton and Chelsea have locked horns 131 times, with the Blues having a superior head-to-head record with 49 wins (D49 L33).
- Chelsea have lost just one of their last ten games vs Southampton on their visits to St. Mary’s, claiming seven wins and two draws since January 2014.
- Southampton have the third-worst defensive record in the Premier League, having conceded 25 goals already.
- Chelsea are unbeaten in 11 of their last 12 Premier League games, picking up seven wins and four draws since late August.
- Southampton have failed to win 25 of their 26 most recent matches in the Premier League.
Player to Watch
Enzo Fernandez
While the game-changing duo of Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson were viable candidates for the section, we have picked the resurgent Enzo Fernandez as our Player to Watch amid his recent upturn in fortunes.
Fernandez’s poor form led to rumours about an impending exit, with several high-profile clubs setting their sights on him. However, the Argentine international has stepped up in recent games, proving worthy of donning the captain’s armband in Reece James’s absence. He will look to continue that run and help Chelsea dominate the proceedings vs Southampton this week.
Prediction
Southampton 1-3 Chelsea
Things have improved for Southampton in recent weeks, but they remain by far the worst team in the Premier League. While the home side should take the game to Chelsea, they might not have the means to overcome the West London club on Wednesday.
The Blues appear unstoppable right now, and the hosts need to play out of their skins to beat the away side. However, Chelsea will show why they have the second-best away record in the Premier League this season, with Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson running the show. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for Enzo Maresca and his charges.