Chelsea vs Southampton Preview: Team News, Likely Line-Ups, Key Man & Prediction

Chelsea play host to Southampton on Sunday afternoon looking to stay in touch at the top of the Premier League.

Arsenal continued their fine form with a 3-0 win over Cardiff on Saturday to open up a seven point gap so the Blues will be desperate to pick up a victory over the Saints to reduce the deficit to just four.

Jose Mourinho’s men were back to their best last week with a 3-0 win away at West Ham but followed it up with a disappointing 1-0 loss to FC Basel in midweek. Despite the defeat, Chelsea progressed to the knockout stages of the Champions League but will hope to put in a more assured display this weekend.

They will need to if they want to see off Southampton, who have been excellent for much of the season and head into the game in seventh place, just two points off the hosts, so can leapfrog Chelsea with a shock win on Sunday.

Mauricio Pochettino’s men slumped to a 2-0 loss away at Arsenal last weekend but despite the defeat, they still boast the best defence in the division, conceding just seven goals in 12 games and have taken points at Anfield and Old Trafford already this season, so the Blues will need to be at their best to pick up the win.

Team News

Mourinho is expected to make some changes after claiming his side looked tired in midweek. Juan Mata, Eden Hazard and Andre Shurrle could all come in to the attack after not starting against Basel, while Frank Lampard is also likely to be given a breather.

Fernando Torres will start up front with Samuel Eto’o ruled out for two weeks with a groin injury. David Luiz remains out with a knee problem but Ashley Cole could start after missing out in recent games with a niggling rib injury.

Southampton are set to welcome back defender Dejan Lovren – who missed last weeks defeat at the Emirates through illness. Artus Boruc will keep his place despite his error last time out.

Guly do Prado remains out with a knee injury but Jack Cork and Gaston Ramirez are back in contention.

Likely Line-Ups

Key Man

Fernando Torres: The Spaniard was getting back to something like his best before being ruled out through injury, so he’ll hope to pick up where he left off tomorrow. Torres will need to be the focal point of the Chelsea attack, bringing others in to play and providing a goal threat.

Predicted Score

Chelsea 2-0 Southampton: A tough game for the Blues but we can see them seeing off the Saints by a couple of goals.

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