Chelsea are preparing to face Southampton at St Mary’s this coming Sunday. The Blues enter the match after clinching a slightly scrappy victory over the Hungarian champions on Thursday after continued pressure throughout the match led to a second-half winner from Morata which gave the blues all three points. Chelsea will be hoping for a better performance though when they return to league football, after drawing their previous two Premier League matches against West Ham and Liverpool.
Match Facts
- Southampton go into the match with only one PL victory to their name so far this campaign.
- Eden Hazard kept up his fantastic scoring season, by getting his sixth goal of the Premier League campaign against Liverpool on Saturday, his second against the club in a matter of days.
- Chelsea are only one of three teams still unbeaten this Premier League campaign, that could have been two, however, but Sturridge scored a late winner to hold Chelsea to a draw.
Predicted Line-up
GK: Kepa – The Spanish international has proved his worth in recent weeks, with a string of incredible saves and great distribution.
RB: Azpi – There’s no doubt Azpi prefers to stay in a more defensive role than his partnering full back Alonso. However, he does the role well and has done so consistently for many years.
CB: Rudiger – It’s been a great campaign so far for the German, solid at the back and creating a strong partnership with David Luiz; both of which made incredible goal-line clearances against Liverpool last Saturday.
CB: David Luiz – I must admit, I had my doubts about Luiz for this season. However, the Brazilian has been improving week by week under Sarri and is starting to change my mind, I’m expecting him to start like he has been so far this season.
LB: Marcos Alonso – The Spaniard has now entered his third season at Stamford Bridge, and each year has been a joy to watch down that left flank, linking up with Hazard, and should now be regarded among the best in his position.
CM: Jorginho – Where do I start? The Italian has looked nothing short of incredible so far this season, controlling Chelsea’s every move, and keeping the ball moving in attack and defence.
CM: Kante – In my honest opinion, I don’t believe this advanced role particularly suits the Frenchman’s style. However, it’s where he fits in Sarri’s system, so it needs to work. I do hope that he can find his feet in this position, and become the complete footballer.
CM: Kovacic – The Croatian International makes football look easy, with his ease on the ball and ability to drift past opposition players, he’s had a perfect start to life at Chelsea. Let’s hope he can continue to improve and that the Blues sign him permanently next summer.
RW: Willian – Tough decision as there are two great players in this position, but in my opinion, Willian edges it.
LW: Eden Hazard- First man on the team sheet, an absolute pleasure to watch every time he enters the pitch and, at the moment, him and Messi are probably the most in-form players in Europe.
ST: Giroud – This is where I believe Chelsea struggle for options, unlike most of England’s top teams, Chelsea don’t have a world class striker who will score an incredible amount of goals year in year out. Though Morata did score on Thursday, his performance overall wasn’t exactly good, again. So I expect Giroud to start as he brings his ability to hold up a ball under pressure and first time flicks to create chances.
