Big Match Breakdown: Chelsea v Southampton
Published:
FA Cup final place up for grabs
This season hasn’t gone as planned for either Chelsea or Southampton. But both clubs are still only one match away from the FA Cup final.
Chelsea come into this one in fifth-place, with Champions League qualification looking very unlikely.
Southampton’s situation is more dire. They’re down in 18th, four points away from safety with only four games to go.
They’ll both be desperate to win this to give their fans something to cheer about. And the Coral News Team have all the pre-match lowdown…
Head to Head
These sides faced each other just last week. Saints took a well-deserved 2-0 lead, before Olivier Giroud’s introduction inspired Chelsea to come back and win 3-2.
That result means Chelsea have now won each of the last five encounters between these two.
Likely XIs
Marcos Alonso’s suspension means Emerson is set to fill in on the left for Chelsea. Eden Hazard and Willian are due to return after being rested in midweek too. Giroud could get the nod ahead of Alvaro Morata after his brace at St. Mary’s last weekend.
Mario Lemina is injured for Southampton, which means Mark Hughes could name the same starting XI that drew 0-0 with Leicester.
Key Battles
How Southampton’s back three deal with Chelsea’s striker could be key to determining the course of the match. They kept Alvaro Morata fairly quiet but couldn’t cope with Giroud’s physicality.
Chelsea will likely control possession, but Saints could find joy on the break. They’ll want to test Emerson especially. The former Roma man has had very little playing time since his January arrival.
Match Odds
But anything can happen in a cup game, especially when both sides will be so motivated.
For all of Chelsea’s quality, they haven’t kept a clean sheet since February. Both Sides to Score is 5/6.
Games between these two have tended to be high-scoring affairs recently. 15 of the last 16 meetings have produced at least two goals. Over 2.5 Goals is 8/11.
Charlie Austin will be the main threat for the South-Coast club. He’s 19/10 to get on the scoresheet.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
