Chelsea FC will host Southampton FC on Saturday in their final match before the international break. After the internationals, they’ll return to Premier League action with an Oct. 16 visit to red hot Brentford.
They fell last night at Juventus, in Champions League play, and Blues boss Thomas Tuchel compared the loss and the lack of luck they had to last weekend’s Man City clash, which saw Chelsea’s three match winning streak against the current champions fall by the wayside.
Chelsea vs Southampton FC FYIs
Kickoff: Sat, Oct 2, 3:00pm, Stamford Bridge
Chelsea Starting XI Prediction: go here
Weekly Premier League Podcast: go here
Form Guide: Chelsea LWWDW Southampton LDDDD
Table Position: Chelsea 3rd, 13pts Southampton 16th, 4pts
“Manchester City scored from a set-piece with a deflected shot against us,” the German said.
“Sometimes you need this. If a team defends deep, it’s hard to find your own rhythm. We were lacking runners. Once we started to do other things, we made mistakes and that cost us a bit of belief.”
Will Chelsea recover against the south coast club?
Team News for Both Sides
If they do, it’ll have to be without the services of several key players. Christian Pulisic, out since the last international break with the ankle injury that he suffered against Honduras, was not recalled to the USMNT for this break, so it’s safe to say he likely won’t be featuring in this one.
N’Golo Kante is out, having contracted covid-19, while Mason Mount is questionable. Reece James is also out injured. As for Saints, Stuart Armstrong’s calf will be assessed before kickoff while Jack Stephens remains out of commission.
Will Smallbone is working his way towards match fitness, which may come after the internationals. Armando Broja is ineligible to feature against the parent club.
Prediction: Southampton 1, Chelsea 0
Going with a really bold upset here! Now is the time for Saints, or anybody for that matter, to catch Chelsea. Losers in back to back matches, and missing some key cogs, they could be had by a big underdog here.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune.
He co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.