The Saints defeated Sunderland 1-0 at St. Mary’s in the EFL Cup after summer signing Sofiane Boufal brilliantly found the back of the net late in the match.
Last weekend, the Saints managed to bring a point back to the south coast after they drew Manchester City 1-1 at the Etihad Stadium. The Saints have gone unbeaten in the past five Premier League matches, having won three and drawn twice.
Chelsea thrashed Manchester United 4-0 last weekend at Stamford Bridge. Midweek however, Conte’s men did fall to West Ham 2-1 in the EFL Cup at the Olympic Stadium. Chelsea have not conceded a goal in their last three Premier League matches, while they have scored nine goals in that span. Conte will be hoping that his side will be able to replicate last weekend’s performance when they visit St. Mary’s.
The Saints have looked very strong defensively and will hope to continue their form in that respect this weekend when they host the Blues. The key match up for this fixture will be Oriol Romeu vs. Eden Hazard.
Oriol Romeu has been extremely impressive so far this season. He has proven himself as one of the strongest defensive midfielders in the Premier League. Last weekend at the Etihad, Romeu won the man of the match after he completed more passes and tackles than any other Southampton player. He will be vital this weekend in slowing down Chelsea’s attack.
Eden Hazard has been one of the Chelsea’s key men going forward this campaign. He has found the back of the net four times and leads the Blues in most successful dribbles and shots per game. Romeu, as well as all of Southampton’s back line, will need to keep an eye on Hazard if they hope to maintain a clean sheet against the Blues.
Southampton beat Chelsea 3-1 last season at Stamford Bridge in October but fell to the Blues 2-1 at St. Mary’s in the end of February.
Saints boss Claude Puel feels that this match will show him and his squad what type of progress they have made thus far.
"“This is the most important, and I hope we are going to play a strong game against Chelsea, who are a good team, with good players… They have a fantastic level at the moment when we look at the last games, but it is interesting for my team to play against this great team and to see what we can do,” Puel said."
Lassner’s Pick: Southampton 1-1 Chelsea
Match Info:
Date: Sunday, October 30
Kick Off: 12:00 p.m. ET
Location: Southampton, England
Stadium: St. Mary’s Stadium
TV Info: NBC
Live Stream: NBC Sports