Chelsea will be looking to put their recent defeat to Brentford behind them as they focus on their next Premier League fixture against Southampton at St Mary’s Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Blues are hoping to bounce back after they were forced to endure a shocking 4-1 defeat against Brentford at Stamford Bridge in their last game after Antonio Rudiger’s 48th-minute opener was cancelled out by a brace by Vitaly Janelt and goals from Christian Eriksen and Yoane Wissa as the bees walked away with all three points away from home.
The defeats sees Chelsea remain in third place in the league standings with 59 points from 29 games, trailing second-placed Liverpool by 13 points and log leaders Manchester City by 14 points, having played one game less than both of them.
Southampton will be hoping to return to winning ways following their 1-1 draw against Leeds United when James Ward-Prowse cancelled out Jack Harrison’s opener at Elland Road over the weekend, having last won a game in the league when they beat Norwich 2-0 in February this year.
The Saint will come into this game sitting in 12th position on the table – level on 36 points with 11th placed Aston Villa after 30 matches, trailing the Blues by 23 points.
In head-to-head stats between Southampton and Chelsea in the previous five meetings, three matches have ended in stalemates, while the Saints have claimed one win as well as the Blues.
With the return of Nathan Tella in the last game, Ralph Hasenhüttl will only have one player on the sideline in the form of goalkeeper Alex McCarthy, who is out of action with a thigh problem, while Thomas Tuchel will be without the services of left back Ben Chilwell, who is nursing his ruptured cruciate ligament and is only expected back in June.
James Ward-Prowse will be aiming to continue his form after ending his eight-game goal drought in the league following his 49th-minute equaliser to earn his side a point against Leeds United in the last match.
Antonio Rüdiger has been enjoying his football this campaign and has been one of the Blues most consistent performances in defence, having kept 22 clean sheets so far while also scoring four-goal and four assists after his sensational long-range effort against Brentford over the weekend.
Form Guide
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