Chelsea and Southampton will be desperate to return to winning ways when they face off at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.
The 2024/25 Premier League season continues on Tuesday with Gameweek 27. The action on the day starts with three simultaneous games before ending with Chelsea vs Southampton at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea once seemed like the dark horse in the Premier League title race. However, the Blues have fallen outside the top four after winning only two of their last ten top-flight games to go from second to seventh in the Premier League standings. The latest setback was a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa, with Enzo Maresca’s men losing three successive domestic games.
On the other hand, 2024/25 has been a horrendous season thus far for Southampton. The Saints cannot buy a win this term, winning only two Premier League games in 26 outings. So, it is hardly surprising that Ivan Juric’s men are at the foot of the table, with 17th-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers 13 points ahead.
The reverse fixture saw Chelsea cruise to a 5-1 win over Southampton, with Joe Aribo scoring an early consolation goal for the Saints. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Chelsea
Enzo Maresca has a new injury concern hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Chelsea manager will be bereft of the services of as many as nine first-team players vs Southampton on Tuesday.
Trevoh Chalobah is the latest absentee after sustaining a lower back injury this past weekend against Aston Villa. The academy graduate has joined Benoit Badiashile, Wesley Fofana, Romeo Lavia, Omari Kellyman, Noni Madueke, Nicolas Jackson, and Marc Guiu, with each player recovering from a thigh injury. Meanwhile, Mykhailo Mudryk continues serving a suspension after failing a doping test.
Filip Jorgensen should get the nod over Robert Sanchez between the sticks, with Chelsea lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Southampton on Tuesday. The backline should feature Malo Gusto, Tosin Adarabioyo, Levi Colwill, and Marc Cucurella.
As for the midfield unit, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall should make a rare start as Moises Caicedo’s partner in the double pivot, with Enzo Fernandez reprising the no. 10 role. Finally, Christopher Nkunku will lead the line for Chelsea against Southampton, with Pedro Neto and Cole Palmer completing the numbers in the offensive unit.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Jorgensen; Gusto, Adarabioyo, Colwill, Cucurella; Dewsbury-Hall, Caicedo; Palmer, Fernandez, Neto; Nkunku
Southampton
Like his counterpart in the Chelsea dugout, Ivan Juric has a new issue to worry about ahead of the trip to Stamford Bridge. The Southampton manager will be without six first-team players on Tuesday.
Jan Bednarek is the latest absentee after picking up a knock this past weekend against Brighton & Hove Albion. The Polish defender has joined Taylor Harwood-Bellis (ankle), Ross Stewart (calf), Adam Lallana (hamstring), and Ryan Fraser (calf) on the sidelines. Meanwhile, Lesley Ugochukwu is ineligible to face his parent club.
Aaron Ramsdale is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Southampton lining up in a 3-4-1-2 formation in front of him vs Chelsea on Tuesday. The central defensive unit should feature Joe Aribo, Armel Bella-Kotchap, and James Bree. Yukinari Sugawara and Kyle Walker-Peters should be the two wing-backs.
As for the midfield unit, Will Smallbone and Albert Gronbaek should pair up in the double pivot, with Mateus Fernandes reprising the no. 10 role. Finally, Paul Onuachu and Kamaldeen Sulemana should be the two strikers for the away side.
Probable Lineup (3-4-1-2): Ramsdale; Aribo, Bella-Kotchap, Bree; Sugawara, Gronbaek, Smallbone, Walker-Peters; Fernandes; Onuachu, Sulemana
Key Stats
- Chelsea have lost two of their last three Premier League games vs Southampton, as many defeats as in their previous 18 against the Saints (W11 D5). However, the West London outfit won the reverse fixture 5-1 in December. The Saints won 1-0 at Stamford Bridge in their last Premier League campaign of 2022/23. They have not won consecutive away league games against Chelsea since March 1985.
- Chelsea have won 11 of their 14 most recent Premier League games against sides starting the day bottom of the table (D2 L1). However, their only defeat during this run was at home to Southampton in February 2023.
- Chelsea have only failed to score in one of their last 25 Premier League home games (60 goals scored in total), a 2-0 loss to Manchester City in Gameweek 1 this season. However, the Blues have only kept one clean sheet in their last 13 at Stamford Bridge, beating Aston Villa 3-0 in December.
- Following a 19-game winless run away from home in the Premier League (D4 L15), Southampton won 2-1 at Ipswich Town in their last match on the road. They have not won successive away matches in the division since June 2020.
- Chelsea have lost four of their five most recent games in all competitions (W1), as many as in their previous 29 beforehand (W18 D7). Indeed, the Blues have lost their last three matches, last losing more consecutively in April/May 2023 (6).
Player to Watch
Cole Palmer
While Aaron Ramsdale and Christopher Nkunku were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Cole Palmer as our Player to Watch for Tuesday’s game between Chelsea and Southampton at Stamford Bridge.
While the English international remains a talismanic figure for Chelsea, his output has dropped in the last few weeks. That has reflected in Chelsea’s results, and Enzo Maresca needs Palmer to rediscover his best touch to drag the West London club out of the recent slump.
Prediction
Chelsea 3-1 Southampton
Chelsea’s recent issues, especially on the road, might give Southampton some hope to grab a positive result on Tuesday. However, the Saints have a horrendous defence that struggles to contain even the worst Premier League sides. So, keeping Chelsea at bay is out of the question, and The Hard Tackle predicts a straightforward 3-1 win for Enzo Maresca and his charges.
