Southampton-Chelsea is a match for the fifth day of the Premier League
The first double scored by Raheem Sterling in a Chelsea shirt has allowed Thomas Tuchel to breathe a long sigh of relief. The German coach – disqualified in last Saturday’s match with Leicester and forced to watch the game from the stands – was coming off a tumultuous couple of weeks. The now famous quarrel with Antonio Conte and the last-second victory against Tottenham, which was followed by the incredible defeat at Leeds, with the Blues overwhelmed 3-0 at Anfield Road, are just some of the events that do not allow the former Borussia Dortmund and Psg coach to sleep peacefully. Two wins, one defeat and a draw so far for the London team, already lagging behind the first place occupied by Arsenal’s cousins.
Chelsea momentarily sixth, far behind the Gunners – the only ones with full points – who have five more points, while Manchester City and Tottenham are +3. While waiting to see what will happen in the last hours of the market – defender Fofana is done, but Tuchel is still waiting for a striker – there is the non-trivial away match at Southampton in the first midweek round of the season. The Saints are proving to be particularly susceptible to the big teams, and on the last day they narrowly defeated a Manchester United side that took advantage of the enthusiasm of the unexpected victory against Liverpool. Against the Red Devils, Ralph Hasenhuttl
Bella-Kotchap
The Prediction
This looks set to be a far from quiet outing for Chelsea, still struggling with an infirmary that won’t empty. Southampton sold their skins against Manchester United and are likely to do the same against the Blues, who have been lacklustre this early in the season. Tuchel’s team are still favourites for the three points, but it cannot be ruled out that the gap will again be as small as it was against Leicester. The Saints could find the way of the goal on at least one occasion.
The likely Southampton-Chelsea line-up
- SOUTHAMPTON (4-2-3-1): Bazunu; Walker-Peters, Bella-Kotchap, Salisu, Djenepo; Ward-Prowse, Lavia; A. Armstrong, Aribo, Elyououssi; Adams.
- CHELSEA (3-4-2-1): Mendy; Chalobah, Thiago Silva, Koulibaly; James, Jorginho, Loftus-Cheek, Chilwell; Mount, Sterling; Havertz.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-2
