Southampton v Chelsea: Match preview

Just two days after beating West Ham at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea are facing a tough away match against fourth placed Southampton. Jose Mourinho might opt to rotate the squad for what is an already difficult away match as the matches are coming thick and fast during the festive period.

The match at St Mary’s kicks off 55 minutes before title rivals Manchester City’s home match against Burnley, so getting a good start to the match could put some pressure on the reigning champions.

Chelsea team news

There are no new injury concerns for Mourinho after the win against West Ham, but the likes of Filipe Luis, Kurt Zouma, Loic Remy, Didier Drogba and Andre Schurrle are all ready to pull their weight if called upon less than 48 hours after the previous match.

The team selection will not depend as much on form as it will on having fresh legs, so we can expect some changes to the team with another match coming up on Thursday.

John Terry, who reportedly soon can expect a new contract, is in brilliant shape after netting twice in the previous two matches.

Also, Diego Costa bounced back after snatching a bit with his chances at Stoke earlier this Christmas by scoring the second goal on Boxing Day.

Southampton news

The Saints have found their feet again after five straight defeats by beating Everton and Crystal Palace over Christmas.

Despite their poor form earlier in December and towards the end of November, Ronald Koeman’s men find themselves in fourth place on the table.

Ryan Bertrand is ineligible for the game since he is on loan from Chelsea, something that potentially could give youngster Matthew Targett a rare opportunity.

Captain and centre back Jose Fonte will be back in the team after serving a one-match ban at Crystal Palace while Jack Cork, Sam Gallagher and Jay Rodriguez are all injured.

Also, Southampton might rotate their team selection with Dusan Tadic, Shane Long and Victor Wanyama likely to get a start again.

Southampton have a poor record against Chelsea with only one win in their last ten meetings. Chelsea also normally score on their trips to St Mary’s, often also two or more goals.

We can expect a close match with a few goals, possibly split between the two. With that in mind, we are going for a 2-1 win for the Blues.