Chelsea gave up a goal in just 11 seconds after coming back from halftime last night in Wednesday’s 1-0 UCL loss at Juventus. It was a backbreaking blitz of a play, and hopefully for Chelsea’s sake, manager Thomas Tuchel has figured out how and why the breakdown occurred, and he’ll adjust for it on the weekend in the next fixture.
The good news is that Chelsea are favored, -278, to win that fixture, a domestic clash against Southampton FC, who are backed at +750. A draw pays +375, so clearly, the wagering community believes the Blues will snap their two game skid here.
Chelsea vs Southampton FC FYIs
Kickoff: Sat, Oct 2, 3:00pm, Stamford Bridge
Team news for both sides: go here
Weekly Premier League Podcast: go here
Form Guide: Chelsea LWWDW Southampton LDDDD
Table Position: Chelsea 3rd, 13pts Southampton 16th, 4pts
It’s a pretty straight-forward selection here for the German, given the key four players that are out/could be out of commission in this one.
Chelsea Predicted XI (3-4-2-1): Edouard Mendy; Andreas Christensen, Thiago Silva, Antonio Rudiger; Cesar Azpilicueta, Marcos Alonso, Mateo Kovacic, Jorginho; Hakim Ziyech, Kai Havertz, Romelu Lukaku
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.