Chelsea are at home, hosting bottom-side Southampton in the Premier League on Tuesday. The Blues, who have won both of their last home matches, will hope home comforts can put their season back on track against a side destined for relegation at the end of the season. Here are the key things to look out for:
1. Final Opportunity for Maresca
Chelsea, who were second and looking strong by mid-December, have endured a tough run since then. Despite having fixtures they should have won, the Blues have managed just two victories in their last ten matches. While the club has publicly backed Enzo Maresca, this run has dented his reputation and Chelsea’s season.
Ahead of the mid-week fixtures, they sit seventh in the table. Their next two matches are against the league’s bottom two sides, Southampton and Leicester City, at home. Maresca simply cannot afford to drop points in either game.
With teams vying for the top four set to face each other in the coming fixtures, Chelsea have a real opportunity to climb the table. Failure to win both matches would leave Maresca in an extremely vulnerable position.