Chelsea will host Southampton at the Bridge on the weekend. After the Saints managed to defeat the west London club in the reverse fixture back in August, they’ve only managed to win two of the 17 games played. Southampton’s struggles saw them sack Ralph Hasenhuttl who lead the team for nearly four years. And then it only took three months for them to sack his replacement – Nathan Jones too. All of this finds the Saints sat at the bottom of the table without a Head Coach.
CFC have been delaying their comeback for a while now and could have not asked for a better opportunity to do so. Southampton look destined for relegation and under such circumstances the Blues must secure three points without any excuses. In order to regain the supporters’ trust, Graham Potter has to make sure that his side don’t put a foot wrong and get the job done.
Chelsea’s predicted lineup vs Southampton (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper: Kepa Arrizabalaga
The Spaniard will continue in goal and deservedly so. Irrespective of Edouard Mendy’s absence due to a fractured finger, Kepa has been very impressive and at this point it can be said that he has been an upgrade over the Senegal International.
Right Back: Reece James
Potter used James with a very cautious approach to avoid a recurrence of his injury. And now after playing the entire 90 for two consecutive games, the Englishman has gained match sharpness and is ready to compete. We did see glimpses of what he’s capable of in the second half at the Signal Iduna Park.