Southampton: Can Saints make it two in a row at the Bridge?
The last time Southampton went to London to take on the Blues they secured all 3 points in a 2-0 victory thanks to goals from Redmond and Obafemi.
It is an important match for both teams on Saturday. Southampton look to snag points from a top opponent and Chelsea (outside of Mendy) are healthy with their outfield players and will want to show just how devastating their attack can be.
The Saints are relatively healthy as well except for Stuart Armstrong (Covid) and Moussa Djenepo (Hamstring) so it sets up Theo Walcott for his second debut with the team. It will be an exciting match and now let us take a look at how both teams can win.
How Chelsea Will WIn
Chelsea, undoubtedly, have loads of talent. They bolstered their attack this summer and really have just been waiting for it to all click and score at will.
They will look at this match as an opportunity to do just that and hold nothing back. They will likely have the majority of the possession in this match and if Southampton do not press them they will be able to pick apart the defense with their passing and make it a long day for Alex McCarthy.
They have the more talented side they just need to show it if they want to win this match. They do have a busy week ahead of them so they need to make sure they do not overlook the Saints and think they can just waltz to a victory.
How Southampton Will Win
I have to believe Hasenhuttl will look back at the victory from the last meeting and use that as a blueprint for this one as well. The Saints defending well and their build-up was tremendous. It is always a huge task to go into Stamford Bridge and get a result but I think the Saints are up to the task.
We may see two debuts on Saturday with Salisu starting in the back and Walcott on the right. They will be eager to show the manager what they have and we could see a good match out of the two new guys.
One thing Southampton will have to do is be clinical in front of net. Their chances will likely be limited and they will need to take them when they get them. This has been an issue in the past but if they can put in 2 they will likely take some points away from this match.
Next. Relive Saints’ superb goal from last trip to Chelsea. dark
Predicted Lineups
Chelsea: 4-2-3-1
Goalkeeper – Kepa the Keeper
Defenders – Cesar Azpilicueta, Kurt Zouma, Thiago Silva, Ben Chilwell
Midfielders: N’Golo Kante, Jorghino
Attacking Midfielders: Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic
Striker: Timo Werner
Southampton: 4-2-2-2
Goalkeeper: Alex McCarthy
Defenders: Kyle Walker-Peters, Jan Bednarek, Mohammed Salisu, Ryan Bertrand
Midfielders: James Ward-Prowse, Oriol Romeu
Attacking Midfielders: Nathan Redmond, Theo Walcott
Strikers: Che Adams, Danny Ings
Predicted Score
Chelsea 3 -1 Southampton