England Premier League
Saturday 2nd October 2021
Kick off at 3pm BST
Venue: Stamford Bridge
Match Preview:
All of a sudden the all conquering professional looking Chelsea are being questioned after going 2 games without a win. Last weekend the Blues unbeaten run ended at home to the champions Manchester City as they lost that game 1-0. It felt significant, a reminder that Chelsea are not the champions. However in midweek there would be another loss as the Blues were defeated 1-0 away to Juventus.
It is interesting to see some media outlets suggesting that manager Thomas Tuchel isn’t getting the best out of striker Romelu Lukaku, because the Belgian hasn’t scored for the past couple of games, but in truth Chelsea are a strong unit and should be able to bounce back from the recent losses when they play Southampton.
Chelsea are in 3rd place but just a win away from being top of the league and with just 2 goals conceded so far they must still be regarded as one of the favouirtes to win the league title.
Southampton are searching for their first victory of the season and are down in 16th place. Despite being so low in the table they have only lost 2 games so far and 70% of their matches have ended in draws. The Saints did lose last week though and it was at home to Wolves, who themselves have had a slow start too.
The Saints have drawn their last 2 away games and their last will make Tuchel and Chelsea think because they were able to come away from Manchester City with a 0-0 draw.
Team News:
Chelsea: Reece James has an ankle injury, it isn’t thought to be serious but he is still touch and go for this fixture. N’Golo Kante is self isolating and has been ruled out. Mason Mount is out with a knock. Christian Pulisic will be assessed after missing the last few weeks with an ankle injury.
Southampton: Armando Broja is ineligible to face his parent club. Stuart Armstrong will be assessed because of a lack of match fitness. Theo Walcott has a good chance to return but has some fitness issues and will be assessed.
Chelsea vs Southampton Head to Head:
Last season this fixture finished 3-3.
3 of the last 5 meetings has ended in a draw.
Chelsea have failed to beat Southampton in the last 3 games and have not beaten Southampton at home in the league since 2017.
Chelsea vs Southampton Prediction:
Not many people will be backing Southampton to get anything in this game but history has shown that the Saints have, in general performed well against the Blues. But maybe the visitors are playing Chelsea at the wrong time. Tuchel will know of the latest criticism and that it has been two games without a win. He will have to pack the midfield because any team in the world would miss the services of N’Golo Kante.
The key will be scoring early for Chelsea and if they can do this then they may end up scoring a few goals. But the Saints have shown stubbornness and quality in the last few weeks as they try to recover from a slow start and will be no easy pushovers.
When you look at both teams there is a gulf in quality but that may not transport to the pitch. However for now we shouldn’t judge Chelsea on losing two games in a row and believe they will bounce back. A straight win does not offer good odds so it might be better to go with the handicap.
Chelsea vs Southampton Betting Tips:
Asian handicap (-1 Chelsea) at 1.625
Anytime goalscorer: Romelu Lukaku at 1.80
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