Chelsea FC currently sit fourth in the Premier League table, sandwiched between two fellow London clubs. The Blues are two points behind second place Tottenham Hotspur, and five ahead of fifth place Arsenal.
Right now, the west London side is dealing with an accumulating injury problem that is on the verge of potentially becoming a full blown crisis. And it’s happening at the worst possible time with the games coming fast and furious. As depth decreases, the chances for squad rotation will be smaller as fixture congestion ramps up.
Chelsea next takes on Southampton on Wednesday in a league fixture, then Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup third round on Saturday.
Then, three days later, comes the first leg of their semifinal tie with Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup. Let’s take a look at who manager Maurizio Sarri might select in his first team to take on Saints tomorrow.
The Bank Chelsea FC Starting XI Prediction vs Southampton FC (4-3-3)
Forwards: Eden Hazard, Alvaro Morata, Willian
Midfielders: Mateo Kovavic, Jorginho, N’Golo Kante
Defenders: Marcos Alonso, David Luiz, Antonio Rudiger, Cesar Azpilicueta
Goalkeeper: Kepa Arrizabalaga
Southampton at Chelsea FC FYIs
Kick-off: 3:00 pm (BST), 11:00 am (EST) Wednesday January 2, Stamford Bridge
Google Result Probability: Chelsea FC win- 76%, Draw 16%, Southampton win- 8%
Odds via Bet Fair: Chelsea FC 1/4, draw 11/2 Southampton 12/1
Injury report for both teams: go to this link
Prediction: Chelsea FC 2, Southampton 0
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, regularly appears as a guest pundit on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
He also contributes sociopolitical essays to Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. The content of his cat’s Instagram account is unquestionably superior to his.