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Southampton vs. Chelsea: Pre-match talking points – 07/10/18

By Joe Mcindoe

LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 22: Gary Cahill of Chelsea embraces Charlie Austin of Southampton following The Emirates FA Cup Semi Final match between Chelsea and Southampton at Wembley Stadium on April 22, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 22: Gary Cahill of Chelsea embraces Charlie Austin of Southampton following The Emirates FA Cup Semi Final match between Chelsea and Southampton at Wembley Stadium on April 22, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 22: Gary Cahill of Chelsea embraces Charlie Austin of Southampton following The Emirates FA Cup Semi Final match between Chelsea and Southampton at Wembley Stadium on April 22, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 22: Gary Cahill of Chelsea embraces Charlie Austin of Southampton following The Emirates FA Cup Semi Final match between Chelsea and Southampton at Wembley Stadium on April 22, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images) /

The visit of Chelsea to the home of the Saints finds the two sides in starkly contrasting form.

Maurizio Sarri’s men have started the season unbeaten and have only dropped four points. Meanwhile, Southampton have only mustered a grand total of five points from the opening seven games.

These matches have seen Mark Hughes’ outfit drop points from winning positions, struggle with the fundamentals of defending, and stutter through a relatively straightforward start to the campaign.

Given the two sides’ fortunes it’s hard to see anything other than a straightforward win for the Blues, as they look to continue their title challenge. Head-to-head stats don’t lend much heart either, with Southampton failing to pick up a point in the last five meetings. Chelsea on the other hand have only lost once in all competitions from 11 previous trips to St. Mary’s. Equally as depressing is that French marksman Olivier Giroud has netted five goals in four games against his south coast opponents.

Despite the negative stat pack, a promising win at Everton in the League Cup has given cause for some hope. Courtesy of a penalty shootout, it marks the first time Southampton have tasted victory at Goodison Park since 1997.

With that being said, here are the key talking points ahead of Southampton’s Sunday showdown with Chelsea?

Stats provided by PremierLeague.com and 1v11.com.