Chelsea vs SouthamptonDate - Sunday 1st December Venue - Stamford Bridge Kick Off - 16.10pm Referee - Michael Oliver It's 3rd vs 5th at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, with both Chelsea and Southampton knowing that victory may see them rise to 2nd place if the weekend results fall their way.
Team News
Chelsea will be without Samuel Eto'o, who limped out of the midweek Champions League defeat to Basle, while David Luiz is not expected to be risked by Jose Mourinho, as he attempts to regain full fitness. Fernando Torres came on for Eto'o against Basle, and is expected to start against Southampton, with Demba Ba as Mourinho's only other recognized striker in the squad. With 3 games in a week, Mourinho may be tempted to restore Ashley Cole to the starting line up following his injury absence, although Azpilicueta has performed well in recent weeks as a makeshift left back. Southampton boss Mauricio Pochettino will hope to welcome back Dejan Lovren after he missed the 2-0 defeat away to Arsenal last week, and he may return at the expense of Jos Hooiveld, while Gaston Ramirez and Jack Cork are expected to return to the squad after injuries. Saints also have a fitness concern over Luke Shaw with the left back replaced in the Arsenal game having picked up a thigh injury, but he is expected to take his place in the starting XI.
Key Stats
- Southampton have the best defensive record in all four divisions in England, having only conceded 7 goals all season. - Last week's 2-0 defeat away at Arsenal, was the first time this season that Southampton have conceded more than 1 goal. - Chelsea have the joint second best defensive record in the Premier League along with Arsenal, having conceded only 10 goals. - John Terry will be making his 593rd appearance for Chelsea, the 4th highest in Chelsea's history. It will also be his 400th Premier League game. - Peter Cech will be making his 450th start for Chelsea and will be hoping for his 150th clean sheet.
Just under 11 months ago, Nigel Adkins took his Southampton side to Stamford Bridge, where they battled back from 2-0 down to rescue an unlikely point, courtesy of goals from Rickie Lambert and Jason Puncheon. It was to be Adkins' last act as Saints boss, as chairman Nicola Cortese took the controversial decision to replace him with Argentine Mauricio Pochettino. Many Saints fans and ex players were outraged at the treatment of Adkins, but fast forward to this season, and while he may not have yet mastered the language, Pochettino has won over many of the doubters, having established his high energy, high pressing game, and with it, rewarding them with Saints best ever start to a Premier League season. Jose Mourinho's Chelsea side are not the same well oiled, powerful machine that he left behind when he joined Real Madrid, but with his expected title rivals also struggling for consistency, Chelsea are still firmly in the mix heading into the festive period. Another faulty Basle result in midweek will have frustrated Mourinho, even though they safely negotiated the Champions League group stages. Last time out at Stamford Bridge, a controversial late penalty gifted Chelsea a draw against West Brom, extending Mourinho's staggering Premier League unbeaten home record to 66 games. Pochettino will have been buoyed by the performances of Basle and West Brom and will be hopeful that his side can continue their strong start to the season. Sunday's game could see the return of Ashley Cole to the Chelsea starting line up, which, with Luke Shaw also expected to be fit for the Saints, will give us a chance to see England's most celebrated left back, line up against his expected long term replacement. Cole is no longer a guaranteed starter for club or country but he is an excellent role model for Shaw, who can consider himself unlucky to have not have joined Saints teammates, Adam Lallana, Jay Rodriguez and Rickie Lambert in the England set up, with Leighton Baines also ahead of him in the pecking order. The game may be decided in midfield, where Oscar, Eden Hazard and Frank Lampard will look to drive Chelsea forward, while Saints will be hoping that Victor Wanyama, Morgan Schneiderlin and James Ward-Prowse can suffocate the Chelsea trio, allowing Lallana and Rodriguez break with intent. With Samuel Eto'o ruled out of this game, Mourinho is left with Fernando Torres and Demba Ba as his only fit strikers. This has again brought into question his decision to allow Romelu Lukaku leave on another season long loan, especially given the contrasting fortunes in front of goal when the Belgian is compared to the Chelsea trio. Mourinho this week called on Lukaku to come clean on his motives for the move, while Lukaku himself has not ruled out a permanent switch to Goodison. Mourinho needs Torres to be firing on all cylinders for this game and failure for Chelsea to get a victory against Southampton on Sunday is not beyond the realms of possibility, and that says a great deal about this Chelsea side at present. Match Prediction Chelsea 1 Southampton 1 source - bbc football
I am an Evertonian originating from Yorkshire and living in Bedfordshire. I have always had an obsession with football and a passion for writing and I am keen to get started in the world of football journalism. I hope that my writing entertains you all and leaves you thirsty for more!
