Southampton Vs Chelsea Predction: The Blues Want To Continue Impressive Performance At St Mary's Stadium
JAKARTA - Chelsea who are in the best form will face Southampton, the Premier League caretaker team, in the midweek match, Wednesday 4 December, at St Mary's Stadium. This match is a golden opportunity for Chelsea to strengthen their position at the top of the table, while Southampton must fight hard to get out of the relegation zone.
Chelsea continued to show impressive performance under Enzo Maresca's tutelage. The convincing 3-0 win over Aston Villa last weekend further confirmed their position at the top, competing fiercely with Arsenal in second place. Although Maresca and flagship midfielder Cole Palmer dismissed the notion that they were in the hunt for the title, the victory in this match could see Chelsea move up to second place absolutely, especially if Arsenal struggle to face Manchester United.
Chelsea are a very productive team this season, with their attacking lines continuing to score goals. Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer are the mainstays on the front lines, while their defense is also starting to show improvement by recording the first clean sheet since mid-September.
On the other hand, Southampton are still slumped at the bottom of the standings with just one win from 13 games. Russell Martin, Southampton coach, was disappointed after Cameron Archer's winning goal was ruled out by VAR in a 1-1 draw against Brighton. The result added to their disappointment list after previously almost holding Liverpool to a draw but finally lost 3-2.
Southampton face a very difficult schedule ahead, with matches against Chelsea and Tottenham at home, as well as away trips against Aston Villa and Fulham. Statistics also do not side with them, with only 6% chance to stay in the Premier League according to Opta's predictions.
Southampton's main problem is low goal productivity and often makes mistakes in defense areas. They became the team with the most number of mistakes that led to chances and goals for opponents, a record of great concern to Martin.
Southampton faces a player crisis with 11 players out due to injury and suspension. Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Tyler Dibling, and Flynn Downes had to miss out on card accumulation. Will Smallbone and Adam Lallana were also ruled out due to a thigh injury. Joe Lumley's goalkeeper position remains after his solid performance replaces Alex McCarthy.
Baca juga:
On the Chelsea side, they lost Wesley Fofana and Reece James who suffered a hamstring injury. However, Malo Gusto and Pedro Neto's return gave Maresca a breath of fresh air. Noni Madueke who missed the previous match is likely to return to the starting XI.
Chelsea are favored to win this match, given their impressive performance and the difficult conditions Southampton face. However, the history of meeting the two teams shows that Southampton is often a difficult opponent for Chelsea. If Southampton is able to take advantage of chances and correct mistakes in the back lines, they can give a surprise at St Mary's.
With all eyes focused on this match, Chelsea have a great chance of continuing to press Arsenal and strengthen their positions at the top. Meanwhile, Southampton had to work extra hard to avoid defeat and revive their hopes of surviving in the Premier League.
Southampton (3-4-2-1): Lumley; Sugawara, Walker-Peters, Wood, Stephens, Manning; Fraser, Aribo, Mateus Fernandes, Armstrong; Archer.
Chelsea (4-2-3-1):Sandez; Gusto, Badiashile, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Enzo; Madueke, Palmer, Neto; Jackson.