Chelsea vs. Southampton: EPL Match Preview, Odds & Prediction

When Chelsea welcomes Southampton, who are headed for the Championship, to Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night, two teams on a downward spiral try to go back to even in the Premier League.

The setback to Aston Villa, 2-1, has left Enzo Maresca's squad reeling, and their opponents, Brighton & Hove Albion, put up little fight in a 4-0 thrashing.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

Following Robert Sanchez's dismissal in favor of Filip Jorgensen, the Scandinavian had his chance to make a disastrous blunder at Villa Park; thus, Chelsea's transfer gurus should be busy making a list of goalkeeper targets for the summer window.

In what should have been a decisive moment for Jorgensen in the 89th minute, Marco Asensio scored a scruffy goal in the West Midlands after a tap-in by Enzo Fernandez, but the game ended in a draw.

But for some reason, the 22-year-old allowed the ball to slip past his body, leading to wild celebrations among the Villa Park supporters and condemning Chelsea to their third consecutive defeat across all competitions. This latest setback keeps them below the top four in the Premier League standings.

Saturday's loss continued the Blues' away-day misfortunes; they have now gone winless in seven trips, losing four in a row. Maresca could take pride in his team's reaction to their 3-0 thrashing against Brighton on February 14, but he dubbed the match the "toughest" of his Chelsea tenure thus far.

The home team on Tuesday has a strong advantage due to their recent home form. They have won three of their past four matches at Stamford Bridge while scoring two goals each. On the other hand, Fulham only lost once in their last eighteen matches on familiar ground, which was their shocking victory on Boxing Day.

Even though Chelsea has been through a lot recently, the Saints' fans won't feel sorry for the Blues. The Saints still have time to create a new Premier League point total before they're relegated, which seems certain.

Brighton pounded Southampton 4-0 on Saturday, causing the Saints to suffer their eighth consecutive home Premier League defeat. The whipping boys of the top level, including Joao Pedro, Kaoru Mitoma, Jack Hinshelwood, and Georginio Rutter, all found themselves on the receiving end of goals.

The nine-point visitors are still in last place with 12 games left to play, and only three teams in competition history have ever endured such a terrible losing streak in a single season. They need three draws or one win to surpass Derby County's eleven points from 2007-08.

With only one victory in their past sixteen Premier League games coming on the road against Ipswich Town, Juric's squad can benefit from a little trip away from the coast. On the plus side, Southampton can take solace in the fact that they have scored in four consecutive away games.

Moreover, in February 2023, the Saints won a fantastic match at Stamford Bridge with a score of 1-0. However, in December, they were thrashed 5-1 by Maresca's men during a St. Mary's mauling, and James Ward-Prowse was missing from that match.

Chelsea x Southampton Team News

Saturday night's setback for Chelsea continued as Trevoh Chalobah's early departure due to a back injury added salt to the wounds; nevertheless, Maresca provided a more encouraging than alarming report at full-time.

On the other hand, Chalobah will most likely sit on the bench among the likes of Omari Kellyman, Noni Madueke, Benoit Badiashile, Wesley Fofana, Nicolas Jackson, Romeo Lavia, Marc Guiu, and the suspended Mykhaylo Mudryk owing to the short turnaround time before Tuesday's game.

While Tosin Adarabioyo should hold off Josh Acheampong in Chalobah's absence, injury-plagued captain Reece James may get a respite if Maresca decides that playing two games in as many days is too much for him. James played the whole 90 minutes on Saturday.

No one was surprised when the Italian refused to commit to either keeping Jorgensen in goal or benching him after his gaffe at Villa Park.

Maresca and Juric can relate to Jan Bednarek's pre-game substitution in Southampton's defeat to Brighton; Bednarek has been scanned and is now questionable for Tuesday's match.

If Taylor Harwood-Bellis (ankle) does not fully recover in time for the journey to the capital, Bednarek's absence will be much more troublesome. Juric didn't want to risk Jack Stephens on Saturday, even though he returned from injury.

Adam Lallana (thigh), Ross Stewart (calf), and Lesley Ugochukwu (on loan from the Blues) will not be able to play against their parent club.

Our predictions

Chelsea to win & Over 3.5 goals @ 1.90 on Sky247.ng

The Saints' poor backline makes them even more dangerous for the cellar boys, and even with a fully-fit defense, Southampton are routinely cut open with ease.

The Blues may have ongoing issues away from home, but they are worth a few goals while playing at home. Therefore, they should overcome Juric's men and cruise to an easy victory.

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