Chelsea FC now have to forget about the fatigue and disappointment associated with Wednesday’s gruelling 120 minutes of Champion’s League football and focus on the only competition they have left to play in and win when they take on Southampton on Sunday at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea currently have the best chance of winning the title as they are currently 5 points ahead of second place Manchester City, having played a game less.
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When both teams last met in December (a one all draw at Saint Mary’s), Southampton were comfortably occupying the 3rd spot on the table, but a run of 2 wins and 3 defeats in their last 6 games, coupled with the resurgence of Liverpool, Tottenham and Arsenal over the same period, has seen them drop out of the Champion’s League places to 7th.
Key Facts
- This fixture pits the teams with the best defences in the league. Southampton have conceded just 20 goals in 28 games while Chelsea FC have conceded 22 in 27. Both teams have kept 13 clean sheets each, two more than the next highest teams.
- Chelsea FC have not lost a league game at home so far this season, dropping just 4 points in their 13 games at the Bridge. Southampton, though, have won 4 of their last 5 away games in the league and have conceded just 10 goals in their 13 away games so far.
- Chelsea have opened the scoring in 21 of their 27 league games. They have also opened scoring in all the 8 league games played since the last time both teams met, winning 5 and losing just one (the 5-3 defeat to Tottenham).
- Chelsea have conceded their last 5 goals in all tournaments from crosses and set-pieces. Southampton have conceded just one goal from headers this season.
- While both teams have kept 3 clean sheets each in their last 6 games, Southampton have struggled for goals, scoring just 2 in the same number of games.
- The top strikers of both clubs, Diego Costa and Graziano Pelle, have struggled for goals in the league since the turn of the year after starting the season in hot form. While Costa has managed just 3, Pelle is yet to score a league goal in 2015.
- Southampton are the only side that are yet to concede a penalty in the league this season.
- Southampton’s Jose Fonte has made 81 interceptions so far this season, the most in the league. Chelsea’s Eden Hazard has completed 122 successful dribbles, also the most in the league.
Expected Starting Line-ups
Chelsea’s Possible Starting 11
With the gruelling 120 minutes of football played on Wednesday, Mourinho is likely to make some large-scale changes to his starting line-up. Oscar put up a really poor performance against PSG, forcing Mourinho to take him off at half-time. So Willian is likely to come in while Cuadrado will most likely take the place of Ramires after he played the duration of the game. Matic limped off the pitch with a possible ankle injury, but is expected to be fit in time for the game, so will line up alongside Fabregas in central midfield. Zouma could replace Cahill (who had another below par performance on Wednesday) in defence, Luis could be brought in to replace Azpilicueta at left-back while Cech could come in goal to replace Courtois, who had another outstanding game on Wednesday, but had to keep up his concentration levels for the whole game, meaning that he may be fatigued mentally and could need a rest.
Southampton’s Possible Starting 11
Southampton have had a massive 10 days to prepare for this fixture and took some time out in the Swiss Ski Resort at Davos to get some bonding time. Injuries permitting, they are likely to field the same 11 players that featured in their last game against Crystal Palace, a 1-0 home win.
Key Players
While Chelsea’s defence has floundered in recent games, Courtois has been called into action a lot as a result and has been outstanding in the process. Petr Cech will probably be expected to keep his concentration levels to the maximum as Southampton aren’t likely to pose much of an attacking threat, but may be dangerous on the break.
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Southampton have struggled in front of goal in recent games, their backline has still been as strong as ever, thanks to the impressive work rate of Morgan Schnerderlin and leadership of Jose Fonte. With Chelsea playing at home, they are likely to take out their anger at exiting the UCL on Southampton, so Fonte would need to be at his best to keep his team in the game.
Expectations
Chelsea have to deal with the fatigue and disappointment associated with Wednesday’s exit from the Champion’s League. But the prospect of winning a league they are currently in control of should be enough motivation to give their all in this fixture. Both sides are really strong at the back, but have found scoring goals difficult in recent games. So expect it to be a low scoring affair, with Chelsea edging it due to their impressive form at home.
Next: Chelsea's History - Part 2