What: English Premier League
Who: Southampton vs Chelsea
When: Wednesday 1st January, 2014, at 15:00 UK Time
Where: St Mary’s Stadium, Southampton, England
Recovery
Southampton have a rough start to their 2014 calendar as they play Chelsea on the first day of the new year. The Saints are in ninth position, a reflection of their dip in results of late; they have managed 27 points after 19 fixtures. Southampton have one of the best defences in the Premier League as they have conceded just 20 times so far – only Arsenal, Everton and Chelsea themselves hold better numbers – but the Blues will undoubtedly be a tough task to face for the side’s back-four.
The Saints’ recent record is poor, as Mauricio Pochettino’s side have only managed a single win in the last six games. Having last fallen against Everton, the former Espanyol manager will be hoping his side will recover against Chelsea, despite the visitors’ potency.
“Again, the results are not coming our way but at least we’re keeping the same performances and same style. Now, we’re facing Chelsea and that’s going to be another tough game. We hope to face this game as confident as possible”, he said, while cautioning his side have all they need to be competitive.
“It’s clear that Chelsea are a top side, a great team. They have great, talented players. We learned a lot from that game [the last time the two met]. It was a very competitive game and it’s going to be another competitive game against them this time around.”
Still in the Hunt
Chelsea’s recent 2-1 victory over fellow title aspirers Liverpool allowed the Blues to establish a four-point lead over the Merseyside club. With Manchester City a point in front and league leaders Arsenal another two ahead, there is no room for slip-ups for Jose Mourinho and his men as they continue to pursue a first Premier League piece of silverware since the 2009/10 season.
The Blues realise that good form is of the essence as they prepare to tackle both Mancunian sides in the upcoming weeks. They have had brilliant luck when facing the Saints in recent games, as they have won four of the past six bouts at St. Mary’s Stadium, but club skipper John Terry nonetheless feels that they will face stern opposition on New Year’s Day.
“It's going to be tough because they're very good at home and it proved a difficult game here when they scored pretty early”, declared the former England international, referencing how the opposition got off to a start as early as the first minute as Jay Rodriguez opened the scoring when the two last met last on 1st December.
Recent form
Southampton:
Southampton 2-3 Tottenham (22/12; Premier League)
Cardiff 0-3 Southampton (26/12; Premier League)
Everton 2-1 Southampton (29/12; Premier League)
Chelsea:
Arsenal 0-0 Chelsea (23/12; Premier League)
Chelsea 1-0 Swansea (26/12; Premier League)
Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool (29/12; Premier League)
Key absences
Southampton: Pablo Osvaldo (doubt); Victor Wanyama; Artur Boruc; Guly do Prado
Chelsea: Ryan Bertrand; Marco van Ginkel; David Luiz (suspended); Frank Lampard; Branislav Ivanovic
Players to watch
Southampton – Rickie Lambert: The Saints’ vice-captain has been amongst their best this campaign with six goals and five assists. The Kirkby-born striker will present a nuisance for the Chelsea back-four, who could be caught napping.
Chelsea – Fernando Torres: Chelsea’s strikers have managed just six goals between them this season and that surely needs to improve if they are to challenge for the title. Torres will want to be the one to fire Chelsea forward.
Match Prediction
Chelsea have negotiated tougher tasks so far, and facing Southampton should not be a great threat for them, even at St Mary’s. Having finally managed to shake-off some of the inconsistency that accompanied them earlier this term, expect the Blues to manage the win.
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